Tuff Love
by Slithersong
Summary: Astrid is beginning to reconsider her feelings for Hiccup after their most recent fight. Who could have guessed that going to get time to cool down would lead her into the arms of someone who's had a lot of time to think things over. Did Tuffnut actually grow up, or is this no more than an extremely elaborate Loki prank? [Set a few years after the second movie.] TuffnutXAstrid
1. Chapter 1 - Astrid

It was another day, another furious flight over the island. Astrid was livid and trying once again to fly it off. That morning she had made another futile attempt to talk to Hiccup. When he wasn't doing "chief things" he was either hiding in his inventing corner, or off Odin-knows-where with Toothless. No mater what she said or did, it seemed like he never had time for her anymore.

She was an independent viking, always had been. But this took things a little too far. It was like living with a mobile helmet-rack. She could talk all she wanted, but he didn't seem to hear a word she said. She wanted to console herself by saying that he was just going through a rough patch right now, but thats what she had been saying to herself for years.

First it was his father passing away, and that was a pretty massive blow. He had to start acting as the town Chief without much time to grieve his own loss. He had his mother back, but Mrs. Haddock was so unaccustomed to people that she often preferred to be alone with the dragons.

It had been years since Hiccup had even hinted that he wanted to further their relationship, and when she brought it up he mumbled something unintelligible and found a reason to be anywhere but home. It didn't help that things were completely uninspired in bed. Astrid had even stooped so low as to allow one of Snotlouts advances, just to see if it was all men or just Hiccup.

Snotlout had managed to be even worse than Hiccup, which was impressive on its own. Without any other options, Astrid had just left Berk and flown back to the Edge. She had left a note for Hiccup in Stormfly's pen if he ever decided to look for her. It would be a few weeks before that happened.

Astrid nudged Stormfly's side with her heel, a silent request for a burst of speed. It didn't matter how fast she flew though, she couldn't leave her fury behind her in the twisting wind. Astrid blinked hot angry tears out of her eyes and tried to loose herself in the wind. It didn't work.

Only when Stormfly was too tired to fly another mile did Astrid finally land her and give her a quick rinse before putting her back in her pen. There would be no flying until her dragon until it had recovered, meaning that tomorrow Astrid would be land bound.


	2. Chapter 2 - A Walk

Astrid had woken up just before the sun as always, and had set off for a leisurely hike. At least it had started as a leisurely hike. Her anger from yesterday had not subsided as she had hoped it would. She had brought her faithful ax as protection, but found herself going out of her way to travel overgrown paths.

She swung her ax before her, slicing at the weeds and pretending each overgrown stalk was Hiccup. A sliced stalk for every time he ignored her. There weren't enough weeds on the island to take out her anger in its fullness.

Astrid was coming to the crest of one of the cliffs, and looked up to see the silhouette of a person sitting on a log at its edge. For a moment Astrid was swept away with the trill of an upcoming fight. Maybe she had gotten lucky and some other viking had invaded her old island, and she would have to fight them off!

She got close enough to identify the viking and her excitement crumbled like a sandcastle at high tide. It was just Tuffnut. She had forgotten that he had moved back to the Edge after his twin had married Eret. With a frustrated sigh she dragged herself up the last bit of the incline and plopped down on the log next to him, dropping her ax so that the handle landed squarely on his feet.

He made no move to acknowledge either her, or the ax handle that had landed on his toes with a solid thump. Astrid heaved a heavy and exasperated sigh, waiting for him to address her. Tuff took a sip from the mug he held, a slight wisp of steam rising from it. So, he wasn't dead. Just ignoring her. Just like Hiccup.

"GRRRAAAHH!" Astrid let out a furious scream.

Several moments passed while Astrid panted and Tuff did nothing. Without looking at her he finally said "Good morning Astrid." No inflection on his voice. She may as well have just given him a polite greeting. He took another sip of the hot liquid.

"I hate this! I hate everything and every one!" Astrid screamed, rising to her feet. "I just want someone, anyone to treat me like an actual person! To listen when I talk and notice whether I'm there or not!" Her words echoed off of the far cliffs opposite them.

"Alright." Tuff said in the same cool tone. When the reverberations of her shouting stopped. That was the final straw. Before she even realized it, Astrid was screaming out everything that she had been wanting to say for the past three years.

She screamed about Hiccup ignoring her, even mentioned the lackluster nights they spent together. She screamed about hating him becoming chief, how much his mother ticked her off, and exactly how much she hated cooking for someone that never complimented her food. She screamed things that would ordinarily make her blush if mentioned in any other context… but she didn't regret a single word.

She went on about almost everyone on the island of Berk and how she hated that everyone seemed to find themselves the most important person on the island. She even told him how, despite how much she loved Stormfly, she hated that almost every dragon on Berk seemed to be smarter than it. Toothless was like a scaled human, but her nadder just squawked and played fetch.

She wasn't sure when her screaming turned to crying. Maybe it was when she got into how much it hurt that Ruffnut had gotten married the year before and was expecting a baby soon, and she was still trying to get Hiccup to even consider furthering things. Its not like he had many other options on Berk.

Somewhere along the lines her crying turned to sobbing and finally the tears took over and closed her throat up, and she just curled in on herself and cried. "Have you gone blind as well as deaf, or is it just fun to ignore me." Astrid spat from her hiding place in her knees.

"I'm not ignoring you." Tuff said, so calmly it made Astrid want to scream again.

"Fine. If you're not ignoring me, then what did I say?" The words slipped out of her mouth before she could catch them. Thats what she always ended up saying to Hiccup when they were fighting. The thing that made it more painful was that he never actually knew because he had wandered off to some place in his head.

"That you want someone to love you." His voice was soft and smooth, calm as a breeze in mid-spring. Astrid snapped her head up to scream at him for saying something so horrible, but her words disappeared when her eyes met his for the first time.

His eyes were deep, thoughtful and more than anything they were sad. It was as though looking into those eyes sucked the air out of her lungs. As though she could drown in the sorrow those eyes held. It wasn't pity, or sympathy. Just endless sadness.

Astrid stuttered to recover herself. "W-well. Fine. If I just want someone to love me, then show me. Show me what thats supposed to look like. Because to Hiccup that looks like me doing all the work. To my parents it looks like me disappointing them by not giving them a grand-viking to swoon over. To the rest of the village it looks like trying to use me to get their demands to the chiefs ears without having to wait in line. So, show me."

Tuffnut turned away from her to take another sip of his drink. She waited expectantly for him to snap at her for being selfish, or yell at her. Anything. He took another sip and said "Alright."

That was all. Alright. She took a breath, ready to start yelling at him again. But she hadn't decided yet what to say.

"Come to my hut this evening." He said softly. Then he seemed to notice that his cup had run out of hot liquid to offer, and moved to stand up. "Fine! But if you play some kind of Loki prank on me, I'll make sure you regret it!" Astrid snapped. She had intended for it to be a scathing retort, but when he looked at her with those deep sad eyes and a soft smile that didn't quite reach them she wished she could take her words back.


	3. Chapter 3 - Evening

The sun was hanging low in the sky when Astrid arrived at the hut that once belonged to the terrible twins, and now housed only Tuffnut. Since she had last seen it, it had changed substantially. In front of the house grew an impressive garden sporting vegetation alongside flowers.

While most of the other huts had fallen into a state of disrepair, Tuff's hut had been improved on quite a lot. The paint was fresh, and there were several new additions to the hut. Though it was rather difficult to tell what the purpose of most of the additions were for. The new and improved boar-pit was rather obvious, largely due to the hanging sign that read "New and Improved Boar-Pit". "Huh." Astrid murmured, she didn't know Tuff could write.

Astrid moved to knock on the door, but found a thin rope with a sign reading "Pull". After a moment of deliberation she pulled the rope and found out the wrong way the other end was tied to the tail of a terrible terror. After substantial screeching she heard the soft voice say "Come in." It was strange to think of Tuffnut as having a soft voice, but this Tuffnut was quite different from the one she remembered.

She pushed the door open and to her surprise, Tuff was no where to be seen. What she found instead was a single round table with a lit candle on it. The muffled sound of "Have a seat." Came from an adjoining room. Astrid cautiously took a seat, barbed for a prank at any moment.

She'd had plenty of time to let her fury cool, an in its place came anticipation. The past few years had been painfully predictable and she wasn't sure if she should have her guard up or not. Tuff seemed really different, and she didn't want all of this to end up as one bid Lokied. She had considered bringing her ax, but settled for knives hidden in her boots and hair.

Astrid tentatively pulled out the chair, checking for hidden wire traps as she did so. From the kitchen wafted an incredible smell, and Astrid couldn't help but wonder… had she seen Tuffnut in the wrong light from the beginning?


	4. Chapter 4 - Dinner

After a few moments Tuffnut came into the dining area wearing a pink frilled apron and holding a plate of meat, still sizzling from the grill. Astid's stomach grumbled loudly and she realized she had been too stressed and frustrated to even think about eating. Actually, she hadn't been hungry for a while now. Even so, the only thing she could think about right now was how hungry she felt and how good that food smelled.

Tuffnut set down the plate of meat and Astrid reached out to grab a piece without even thinking her actions through. She was shocked when he smacked her hand. "What was that for?!" She proclaimed, rubbing her hand. Though, the only thing he injured was her pride.

"Wait." Tuffnut said firmly, a single finger gesturing for her to stay put. With several more trips he brought out a bowl of mashed potatoes with chives and garlic in them, what appeared to be peas with yak butter and a decorative glass jar with Flightmare algae in it.

Tuffnut blew out the other candles in the room, and soon they were both bathed in the soothing blue glow of the algae. Tuffnut served Astrid first, then himself. He sat down and Astrid noticed that he had taken the apron off. Under it he was wearing a crisply pressed white blouse that took on an iridescent hue in the light of the algae.

Tuffnut looked deep into Astrid's eyes and for the first time she noticed how incredibly blue they were, as they practically glowed in the soft light. "How is the new flight training going?" He asked, a light smile playing on his lips.

Astrid raised her eyebrows in surprise, then lowered them in suspicion. "How did you know about the new training? Have you been watching me?" She didn't like the idea of being observed without knowing it. Tuffnut laughed. "Astrid, you're ALWAYS working on new flight training." With that he took a bite of potatoes and waited for her response.

Conversation was slow and awkward at first, and Astrid didn't touch any of the food she had been provided until she had watched him consume the same thing first. She didn't want to get Lokied by fire-pepper powder tipped into one of the dishes before it had been brought out.

Nothing had been laced with anything she could taste, and in fact it was all quite delicious! They talked about her newest training regimen, a healthier diet she had put together for Stormfly and even about a new ax design she had been contemplating.

For the first time in a long time Astrid truly felt like someone was hearing her when she spoke, and letting her direct the topic instead of cutting her off to tell her about something else. Soon they were laughing about Fishlegs poor social skills and trying to see who could do a better Snotlout impression.

Astrid ate until she was too full to move, and laughed until tears welled in her eyes. Tuffnut was much better at impressions, and she nearly fell out of her chair when he tied his dreadlocks under his chin for a Stoick impersonation. He harrumphed around the table ordering various inanimate objects around. Astrid wished the night could last forever.


	5. Chapter 5 - Chicken

When neither of them could eat another bite and conversation had died down slightly, Tuffnut moved to clear the dishes off of the table. Astrid jumped to her feet to assist, but her dinner plate was taken from her hands.

"Through the door over there is a bath that I had a Scaldron heat before you came in. It should be cooled down enough now for you to get in." Tuffnut said, gesturing to a door behind her. "But Scaldrons are impossible to train! How did you get it to do that without blasting the whole house?" Astrid said, nearly staggering back at the thought.

"Calder didn't seem to mind. Actually, he typically helps me get water to the garden. He was just sweet enough to heat it this time." Tuffnut said, taking the dishes back to the sink. Astrid stared at him wide-eyed and stammered something about training and it being impossible.

"Rubbing yourself in fish and offering them blue oleander helps quite a bit." Tuffnut laughed. "I had to get him to trust me so that I could get the spear out of his wing. He still can't fly very far, but he's become quite the helper. He doesn't even try to eat Chicken any more!" Tuffnut proclaimed, puffing his chest with pride.

"Speaking of, where is Chicken?" Astrid asked, realizing that she had not seen the fowl since her arrival. "If I show you will you go take a nice hot bath?" Tuffnut asked. Astrid considered the proposal, and nodded when she couldn't think of a down side.

Tuffnut led her to a back room of the house and put a finger on his lips, signaling that Astrid needed to stay quiet. He slowly creaked the door open and Astrid wasn't sure if she was surprised or not to see that the entire room had been converted into an indoor chicken coop. There was a small door that she assumed went outside, but it was closed at present.

On the left side of the room was several structured that she assumed were intended to be chicken play things. A slide, a small climbing tower, and various vegetables riddled with peck marks hanging from strings. They all had small wear and tear nicks and scratches that signified that they were well used. On the right side of the room was an entire miniature viking hut, complete with carvings and paint.

Tuffnut carefully lifted the side of the hut to reveal Chicken sitting on a nest in the middle. "I don't remember Chicken being quite that fat?" Astrid breathed, barely over a whisper. The whisper was enough noise to be a problem, and Tuffnut planted his face in his palm as Chicken's belly feathers seamed to wiggle of their own accord.

Over half a dozen tiny yellow heads poked out of the belly feathers and a dozen eyes locked onto Astrid. "Now you've done it." Tuffnut breathed, and Astrid worried that she had upset him by waking the chicks. He pulled his head from his hand and Astrid was relieved to see his crooked smile. His eyes were so beautiful when he was genuinely smiling.

Within seconds the room was filled with the sound of peeping chicks and Chicken was awoken with a frantic start. Several of the chicks came running to Tuffnut and he soothed them with soft words and gentle pets on the head. Chicken was less than pleased and attempting to bop the chicks to silence with her wings. It had no effect.

Soon all of the chicks were clustered around Tuffnut's large, gentile hands as he tried to give as much attention as he could to the many peeping chicks. One black chick wiggled out from under Chicken and dashed to Tuffnuts hands. Pushing the other chicks out of his way.

"This is Jörmungandr. He's going to grow up to be a warrior chicken." Tuffnut smiled as the little black chick ran up his arm and settled its self on his shoulder. Astrid reached out to pet Jörmungandr, but he nipped her finger and squeaked indignantly.

"He's a warrior alright." Astrid muttered, settling for petting the other yellow chickens. After they had gotten thorough attention and a handful of seed, the chicks finally settled down and returned to Chicken. "There. They should sleep through the night now." Tuffnut whispered, closing the hut.

They crept out of the chicken room and back to the dining area. "Now. You said if you saw Chicken that you would take a bath without a fight. Go now before the water gets cold and I have to drag in a flock of Terrible Terrors to heat it back up." Tuffnut said with mock severity while pointing at the door that lead to the bath. Astrid tried to think of an argument, but she didn't have one.


	6. Chapter 6 - Bath

Astrid stepped into the bathing room and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was filled with warm steam. This was particularly nice because there wasn't a chill when she took off her cloths. Tuffnut had requested she leave her cloths outside the door so that he could wash them, and despite her better judgment she obeyed.

"You better not do anything nasty to them." Astrid snapped as she dropped her cloths on the other side of the door. "Don't you trust me?" He asked. He actually looked hurt when she replied with "Why should I." Again, it was one of those things she regretted saying as soon as it came out of her mouth.

He had given her the most delightful evening she'd had in years, didn't that warrant at least a small amount of trust? Then she thought of all the times in the past and brushed off the guilty feeling she had. Or tried to at any rate. Why did she suddenly feel bad for not trusting the town prankster?

Astrid tiptoed to the huge tub filled with steaming water and was delighted to find that it had cooled to the perfect temperature. It was hot enough to turn her skin red, but not so hot that she couldn't get in. Beside the bath she found a line up of things that she assumed were bath supplies.

One jar was labeled "Seaweed for Softies". She opened it and smelled the contents. Yup. Definitely seaweed. The smell was pungent and fishy. But not exactly unpleasant. Once you got past the smell of seaweed it actually smelled exceptionally sweet and even like citrus or fruit of some kind.

She looked at the back of the jar in it read "Pour into bath." So she followed the directions. She knew there was a chance one or more of these bottles was dangerous… But the pained look in Tuffnut's eyes when she said she didn't trust him was enough to convince her that maybe this bath wasn't as dangerous as her instincts told her.

The contents of the jar looked like dark green gel and smelled foul, at least it smelled foul until it hit the water. As soon as the seaweed gel hit the Scaldron water it blossomed out into a blue plume and released the most beautiful scent she had ever smelled. Apparently the concentrated stuff stank, but the steam from the diluted seaweed gel smelled like fruit and ocean mist. Astrid sank deeper into the fragrant soothing water.

The next bottle read "Hair Thing #1" and on the back of the bottle it directed her to rub it into her hair before 'Hair Thing #2'. So she upbraided her hair, slipped out the hidden knives and massaged in the hair thing. It was sticky and made her hair feel weird, but when she rinsed it out and replaced it with 'Hair Thing #2' it gave her hair a silky smooth feeling. She didn't know it was even possible for her frizzy hair to feel so soft!

Astrid continued down the line and with each new bath additive she felt more relaxed, and more curious about the bottle next to it. She massaged her feet with some kind of abrasive scrub that smelled like mint, and used a cloth to scrub her back with something that smelled like honey and flower blossoms.

Each new jar added another beautiful scent to the already fragrant room and Astrid lay with the last jar of gray paste rubbed all over her face. She was supposed to leave this one on for a while, so she simply lay back in the bath to think.

Why was Tuffnut doing all of this for her? She thought of all of the mean things she'd said to him and his sister over the years, and how when she wasn't yelling at him she was ignoring him. She never just spoke to him and got to know him. His only friends in the world when she left were his sister, Chicken, and Barf and Belch.

That thought stung. Barf and Belch had perished in a small tussle with some rogue pirates a few years back. That was the only dragon lost, but it drove a wedge in the gang that no one could mend. The twins refused to train a new Zippleback because it just wasn't the same. The other riders felt bad riding their dragons around them because it felt like they were flaunting that their dragons hadn't died.

Astrid felt ashamed when she realized how easy it was to forget about the loss of Barf and Belch and move on with her life. But the twins couldn't just 'move on' like she did. The world as they knew it came to an end. Shortly after that, Eret became more receptive to Ruffnut's advances and he claims that she's quite a different person when separated from her trouble-making brother.

That left most of the town assuming that Tuffnut was the Loki master and the whole lot of them kept him at an arms distance until he finally moved back to the edge by himself. Astrid covered her mouth and tears welled in her eyes as she realized how he must have felt when that happened.

He lost his dragon and his sister in one blow and instead of supporting him, all of his so called friends turned their backs on him and celebrated when he left the island. Her tears flowed freely and she finally understood how much he had lost.

Yet here she was… In a bath he had meticulously prepared, after a meal he had gone to quite a lot of work for. Even though in all of this she had not asked how he was doing. How he felt. How he was handling things. Not once. Things needed to change. SHE needed to change.

After melting away every drop of stress Astrid had ever felt in her life, she finally stepped out of the bath. Ready to turn over a new leaf. She had a line-up of things she wanted to say to Tuffnut and the first one on the list was "I'm sorry."

She picked up the fluffy towel that had been placed on a chair next to the bath and began to dry herself off. She had no idea what it was made of, but it was softer than any fabric that she had ever felt. It swallowed her up in fluff, but still sucked the moisture off of her body. She would certainly need to ask Tuffnut where he got these luxurious things.

Astrid creaked the door open to ask Tuffnut where her cloths were, but instead was greeted by a pathway lined with tiny jars of Flightmare gel, and flower petals that were shaped into arrows. The beautiful path took her breath away and with a new determination to trust the town trickster, she followed the flowers.


	7. Chapter 7 - Goodnight

The petal path lead her upstairs to a bed with red silk sheets and a black fur draped across the foot of the bed. The petal trail ended at the side of the bed, so she carefully walked over to it, trying not to disturb the petals or the jars. It was all so beautiful.

The main light in the room came from a medium sized pot setting on a table beside the bed with a flame under it. The flame was probably slow burning Monstrous Nightmare gel. She had no idea what was in the pot. Whatever it was, it smelled like lavender flowers and honey.

She was only granted a few moments to stroke the silk sheets and wonder what kind of fur she was sitting next to when she heard the creaking of the stairs. She didn't know how Tuffnut knew she was even out of the bath, but now he was on his way towards her.

Wrapped in only the towel, Astrid felt more vulnerable than she could even comprehend. More than vulnerable, she wanted to apologize. She wanted to apologize for so many things she wasn't even sure which one to start with.

He reached the top of the stairs and in that moment he was the most perfectly beautiful thing she had ever seen. Everything from his snub nose and crooked smile, to the unique way he tilted his head at her. "Tuffnut, I-" Astrid tried to begin her much needed apology, but was halted when he smiled and put his finger tenderly to her lips.

"Not right now… maybe later, but not right now." He whispered softly. The tears of overwhelming emotion that had been brimming in her eyes began to pour down her cheeks and he wiped them away with his thumbs.

Cupping her face lightly in his hands and looking deeply into her eyes he whispered "I want you to trust me. Lay down on your stomach and trust me." Astrid's blood froze. Suddenly her resolution was challenged. Just when she thought she couldn't get any more vulnerable, he had found a way to ask her to do so.

Her mouth moved, but no words came out. She closed her eyes tightly, and lay herself down on the bed. Attempting to remain covered by the towel. She turned her face away from him, and he lay his hand gently on her back. She couldn't help the involuntary shiver her body gave when he touched her.

"Do you trust me?" He asked. She couldn't see his blue eyes, but she knew they were sad and hopeful. She tried to get herself to speak, but it was as though her throat had closed. When he shifted his weight to move away from her she finally nodded jerkily.

"Do you trust me." He asked again. He wanted a real answer. "I-… yes. I trust you." Astrid stammered her response. She was a viking warrior. No one had ever made her feel this way, not even Hiccup. So utterly and completely helpless. In a way though, she liked it. She wasn't afraid. She was exposed, but somehow she still felt safe.

Slowly and deliberately Tuffnut pulled the towel away, exposing her naked back to the open air. She heard the pot on the counter shift slightly and soon something warm and wet touched her back. It seemed to be some kind of heated lotion and soon he was massaging it into her skin.

He was massaging her back with the same careful intensity with which he held Chicken, and she realized that this tenderness had always been inside of him. The way he treated animals he was around, the way he cared about his sister and his dragon. But never before had she it in such a sensitive way. Half of his interactions with his sister were violent. But when she looked back, how many of those had been instigated by Ruffnut?

Now she was here, and he didn't seem so much like a trickster in waiting. He seemed like a man who had lost everything, but still had so much left to give. Not to mention, he was incredible at massages.

He rubbed the knots out of her shoulders and the tension out of her back. He even worked the tightness out of her arms and legs. At some point during the foot massage Astrid drifted to sleep, despite her efforts to stay awake.


	8. Chapter 8 - Goodmorning

Astrid awoke the next morning feeling like a completely new viking. Her skin was smooth as silk and that feeling was only magnified by the silk sheets she was wrapped in. She stretched and it felt as though every joint in her body cracked. Astrid took a deep breath and became aware of a sweet smell that hung in the room. Tuffnut was evidently already up and cooking breakfast.

Looking around Astrid found the room bathed in crisp morning light that poured in from a large open window. Closer inspection of the fur revealed it to be that of a wolf and Astrid momentarily wondered how he had obtained it. Either way it was incredibly soft and smelled like the forest. There was a table beside her bed and on it her cloths sat clean and folded, smelling slightly of sage and lemons.

She slipped on the clean cloths and ventured out of the room she resided in. The hut looked different now in the light than it did last night. A once pitch black hallway was now lit up with natural light and decorated with detailed drawings of animals and dragons. In a way, the drawings seemed to tell a story.

At the beginning was a boar pit… one night a black wolf attacked a baby boar and Tuffnut leapt into action to save the boar. All of that was followed by a scribble that she assumed signified a battle between Tuffnut and the wolf until they somehow ended up on some sharp lines she could only interpret as a cliff with rocks below.

The wolf fell from the cliff and it looked as though the character she assumed was Tuffnut was about to fall as well. Before he could fall he grabbed what looked to be a strange blue vine… but before Astrid could finish the story she was interrupted by the realization that someone was standing exceptionally closely behind her.

Astrid attempted to spin around into a battle ready position, but instead found herself colliding into the sturdy chest of a particular Tuffnut. In that moment she fully realized how much he had filled out since they were teens living on the island together.

His now broad shoulders were at eye level for her, and her weight didn't cause him to do so much as sway. In contrast Astrid felt suddenly small and petite. She was accustom to Hiccup who had never grown much taller than herself. She tilted her head up to see his face and found a crooked smile and deep sad eyes.

"Breakfast?" He asked, not looking away from her. Astrid could feel her face prickling with blood flooding to her cheeks and thought it best to turn away from him before he noticed her turning red. All thoughts of sincere apologies were forgotten as she tried to ignore the fluttering feeling in her stomach.

"Yes please." She murmured, ducking away towards the direction the sweet scent was emanating from. In the dining area she was delighted to find hot pancakes with melting yak butter, and an herbal tea with yak cream. There was a small pitcher of viscous amber liquid with tiny bubbles trapped beneath its surface.

"That's Fireworm honey." He stated. "I went back to check on the Fireworm queen and she had an entire cave filled with this stuff. All of the babies were lapping it up like milk, so I tried some. Its absolutely incredible in tea, but I didn't know how sweet you wanted it."

Astrid tentatively tasted the Fireworm honey and found it to be extremely sweet. The sensation after the flavor was even better though. It left her mouth tingling as though numbness had just worn off. It wasn't painful in any way, and certainly left her wanting to try it again. She sat down to eat and poured the honey liberally on the pancakes. It was like nothing she had ever tasted before.


	9. Chapter 9 - Into the Dark

Tuffnut asked how she had slept and if she was feeling any better than she was yesterday, and Astrid went into an excited ramble about all of the fancy bath things. "Where in the world did you get all this stuff?! I know its not from the island." Astrid asked insistently.

"I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you." Tuffnut laughed, making Astrid all the more positive that she had to know what secret he was keeping on this island. Astrid folded her arms in a huff and turned as though she was going to stop talking to him if he didn't tell her. She knew it was a bluff, but hopefully he didn't.

"Alright, alright." He put his hands up in surrender. "I'll show you after breakfast. But you won't believe it, even when you see it." He chuckled. Astrid agreed, knowing it was the fastest and easiest way to get answers, and after a few more prying questions from him they were chatting and laughing like they had been the night before.

She got him to tell her the story that he had drawn on the wall, and he retold the tale with full reenactment. She had read the story correctly, but it was much more exciting watching Tuffnut jumping to and fro acting out both himself and the slathering wolf.

There was one difference though. When he told about the wolf falling from the cliff, an intense sadness came over him. Astrid realized that he cared for the life of the wolf even though it was actively trying to kill him. He kept the pelt not as a trophy of triumph, but as a reminder of the loss of a life that was simply trying to sustain its self.

The story made Astrid want to run to the other room and hug the wolf pelt, and apologize to the creature for its untimely death. Just when tears were brimming in her eyes the story cut abruptly short. He ended the story with himself hanging from the cliff, and suddenly offered to get her more tea.

"How did you get off the cliff?" Astrid asked the obvious question. But Tuffnut shrugged it off. "It's a bit complicated." Tuffnut stated. Clearly unable to find words to describe the experience. He looked down, a soft smile on his lips and looked back at her with an expression of hope.

"If I show you something, do you promise to stay calm?" He asked, standing up and walking toward a blank wall. Astrid eyed him suspiciously, but followed him over to the wall. "No one can know about this." He said, excitement creeping into his voice.

Tuffnut pressed on the empty wall and it slid back to reveal a staircase that led to a dark and empty passage way. He pulled a torch from the wall and started walking down the steps before them, looking up at her encouragingly. Astrid hesitated. "Tuff… Where are we going?" She asked, visibly shaken.

"You're going to have to trust me on this one. It's better shown than explained." Tuffnut reached out his hand to her and waited for her to take it. "No Loki tricks?" Astrid asked. "If I was going to do that, don't you think I would have done it already?" Tuffnut asked with a wink.

Gingerly, Astrid placed her hand into his and allowed him to lead her down the steps and into the darkness. The door slid back into place, shrouding them both in complete inky black. The only things visible were the walls beside them revealed by the torch light. Astrid found herself clinging to his arm, and he pulled it back to put it around her shoulders and pull her close to his body.

Astrid would never admit to anyone that she was afraid of the dark, even though she had been since she was a little girl. "Just trust me" Tuffnut whispered into her ear, and she wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll keep you safe." He whispered, and led her into the dark.

A/N: Shout out to my delightful and kind supporters: Katurdi, Childatheart28, The Skrillrider, MMM, and DragonRider015! You bring a smile to my muzzle with every comment! I tip my horns to you in gratitude.


	10. Chapter 10 - Caution

It felt like they had been walking for miles, occasionally taking a turn or curve. A few times they had to go up or down hand carved steps. There were pathways branching off from the main one, but Tuffnut strode forward without hesitation. He was clearly extremely familiar with the cave system. Astrid hadn't known that the Edge even HAD a tunnel system, let alone one this extensive.

"You didn't dig all of this… did you?" Astrid asked. She didn't even know they had tunneling dragons ON the Edge. "You'll understand everything soon." He said, and kept walking. Astrid vaguely wondered where the other tunnels led to, but Tuffnut took no interest in them.

"How do you know where you're going?" Astrid asked as they took another right turn. "I've spent quite a lot of time down here. It takes some time, but once you understand the system it actually makes a lot of sense. That tunnel ahead of us is tilted slightly downward, that means it leads to water." He pointed to a tunnel on the right and Astrid observed the slight slant it took before continuing forward.

"A sharper downward angle would mean it goes to a cave. Like that one over there." He pointed to a tunnel on the left that seemed to dive into the earth before flattening out. He pointed to a tunnel with a switchback that twisted so that she couldn't see where it led. "That one goes to a nursery."

Astrid was left to wonder, a nursery for what? Whatever made these tunnels was clearly very large, and any tunneling dragon that large most likely wasn't going to be friendly. Just as Astrid was wishing Fishlegs was there to tell her the stats of a dragon that large, she felt the ground tremble slightly beneath her feet.

Tuffnut turned towards her and embraced her, whispering rapidly into her ear. "Astrid, I NEED you to trust me on this. Don't make any sudden movements. In fact, don't do anything at all. Don't move." With that, he let her go and turned to face the direction an ominous rumbling was coming from as the ground began to shake even more.

Astrid wanted to pull him back. She wanted both of them to run back to the safe part of the tunnel. She wanted to do ANYTHING but stand here and wait for whatever was coming. She reached into her hair for the hidden knife but instead found silky blade-less locks. She had never replaced the knife after the bath.

She felt her ankle for her boot knife but found the concealed sheath empty. When he had cleaned her cloths he must have slipped out the blade as well. She had trusted Tuffnut and once again she was defenseless and at his mercy.

If this was a Loki trick, it would be the last one ever played. Getting her to waltz into a dragons den completely weaponless. Astrid buried her face in the back of his blouse and waited for her inevitable death.

A/N: The Skrillrider, Katurdi and I am Moonsong, you are more delightful than a new blossom in a barren field. Thank you for your continual support!


	11. Chapter 11 - All Hail the King

Suddenly Tuffnut started singing in a deep baritone voice. The words weren't familiar, and neither was the tune. The words didn't even sound like actual words! Was he singing in another language? If so it was one she had never heard before. The tunnel made his voice echo, and soon the walls were reverberating with the sound of his voice.

Whatever was causing the ground tremors slowed nearly to a stop. What had been a thundering stampede became the sound of slow crunching footsteps on gravel. Tuffnut continued to sing and tones from moments ago echoed with him and made it sound as though he were singing with a full chorus.

Astrid had only ever heard Tuffnut playfully belt out made up songs with his sisters without even trying to sing well. This was entirely different. His voice rose and fell, never cracking on high notes and creating base notes so strong she could feel them in her bones. She didn't know what he was singing, but it made her want to sit down and listen to him for hours.

Out of the darkness came an enormous dragon the color of burning embers. The dragon looked like a Fireworm Queen, but twice as large and a darker shade of orange. It also had larger and more menacing horns. Astrid took a tentative step back, but Tuffnut took her wrist. He never stopped singing.

The dragon slithered closer, each step of its ten feet like a miniature earthquake. It opened its enormous maw and Astrid was sure that this was going to be the end of the both of them.

However, instead of taking a bite out of Tuffnut the dragon also began to sing. A low and deep tone that joined Tuffnut's song in a rising and falling harmony. The huge orange dragon twisted its head from side to side as it sang, looking first at Tuffnut, then at Astrid.

After a few moments it closed its mouth and they both stopped singing, the echo still carrying hauntingly in the tunnel. Tuffnut took a deep bow and tugged Astrid's wrist, urging her to do the same. She followed its lead and the dragon dipped its head in confirmation.

After a hanging moment, Tuffnut pulled Astrid so that they both stood in the mouth of a side tunnel and let the massive Fireworm pass. Its thundering footsteps resumed as it galloped down an unknown tunnel.

"What in Odin's name was that?!" Astrid whispered in a fierce tone, not wanting to lure the dragon back. "I call him the Fireworm King. He lives here in the Fireworm tunnels and he's the only big Fireworm that doesn't seem to fight with the Queen. He's not always here. I think he travels from hive to hive."

Tuffnut released Astrid's wrist, but she took hold of his hand. He looked at her with slight confusion but the only response she gave was a slight blush and a glance down the tunnel where the Fireworm King had gone. "How did you manage to tame a dragon like that?" Astrid asked, even Hiccup would be impressed.

"Oh, he's not tame." Tuffnut said, resuming his stroll down the dark tunnel. "He hates my guts." He smirked. "But the Fireworm Queen remembers how we protected her young and has convinced him not to kill us. Otherwise we'd both be in Valhalla right now."

Astrid shivered at the though. "What was the singing about?" She asked, she had never heard anything like it. "That was actually something Valka and I figured out together while we were observing the Death Song. I mean, you think about it, and sound means a LOT to dragons. The Death Song lures them in by singing, the Alpha controls them by singing… It just made sense."

Astrid was amazed. "That only explains half of it. How did you learn how to do it?!" She practically shouted, her voice echoing slightly in the tunnel. Tuffnut simply stared at her for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. "I listened to them." He stated, as though that answered everything.

Astrid looked at him skeptically. "I learned it the same way I figured out how to understand Chicken. Paying attention to others goes a long way, Astrid. You should know that." Once again Astrid wanted to argue, but she was left speechless. No one had never had figured out how he could understand Chicken so well.  
-

A/n: I am Moonsong, The Skrillrider, Katurdi, DragonRider15 you are more joyous than the scent of honeysuckle on the air. Every day your kind words make me smile and think of what to write next.

I am Moonsong, Your recent comments have been particularly appreciated, and I wish I had a way to thank both you and The Skrillrider personally.


	12. Chapter 12 - Haven

When Tuffnut finally led Astrid out of the dark tunnel and into the harsh light of day, she had to cover her eyes from its blinding rays. It took several minutes for her to adjust to the change, and when she was finally able to look about without it giving her a headache she found that Tuffnut was no longer beside her.

Astrid scanned the area around her for his blond dreadlocks, but was instead distracted by what surrounded her. It was a gigantic log cage. It was quite similar to the pens they kept the dragons in at night, but instead of walls surrounding it, the cage was simply open to the elements. It gave her a strange trapped feeling as though she was suddenly the one contained, instead of the other way around. The cage was so large it ever contained part of the forest.

All around her was the whispering movement of life. Astrid had expected to find dragons, but to her surprise she also found birds, rabbits, foxes and even wolves. Wolves! Once again Astrid reached for her non-existent weapons as a hulking gray wolf stalked towards her.

"Maarku! Leave her alone, she is a friend." The wolf looked up at Tuffnut and regarded him carefully. After a tense moment the wolf backed down and sulked into the wooded part of the cage. The holes in the cage were large enough that the wolf could have fled to any part of the island, but none of the creatures made a move to escape.

"Sorry about Maarku. He's a touch territorial. He'll come around though." Tuffnut said cradling a bear cub in his arms and nursing it from a makeshift bottle. Astrid wished she could do more than stand with her mouth open in shock, but when she tried to speak her jaw opened and shut like a fish gasping for air.

Tuffnut returned his attention to the bear cub. "He's old enough to eat on his own, but he seems to prefer a bottle of yak milk to fresh fish. He'll have to grow up eventually, but not today." As Tuff spoke, Astrid's mouth open and shut again but still no sound reached her tongue.

Tuffnut gestured at the highest part of the cage where the gaps in the bars were big enough for any dragon besides an alpha to wander in at its will. "I'm sure you can tell that these walls keep nothing in or out." He said, smirking as he stated the obvious.

"In a way they are more symbolic. Inside the pen there is to be no war between animals. A fox is not permitted to hunt a rabbit, and a wolf is not to hunt the fox. Inside the walls only fish or foliage are to be seen as food. Outside the walls the protection ends and the hunt begins." He said this, faltering a bit at the end. Tuffnut had always had a slight issue with things wanting to eat Chicken.

"I cannot stop a wolf from needing to eat, but I can feed it so that it is not hungry for my other friends." He reached down to pet a squirrel that had scampered to his feet. The squirrel took advantage of his arm and used it to scurry to his shoulder.

Astrid finally found her words. "What are you, a dragon rider or a squirrel tamer?" She said, sounding much more accusative and condescending than she would have liked. Tuffnut gave the squirrel a sad smile, and Astrid wished she could have sucked the words back out of the air. Here he was showing her his heart and she was responding with mockery.

"Despite popular belief, dragons are not the only creatures on Edge that need someone to care about them. The animals come to this place as a sanctuary just as much as the dragons to, and just as much as I do." His words were cold and distant. Astrid tried to reach a hand out to touch his squirrel-less shoulder, but he turned away from her.

"None of the dragon riders were ever able to see beyond the snout of their own mount. The world began at the tip of their dragons tail and ended at its nose and wingtips. So how could I expect someone who still has that world to see mine." His words raked across her heart like knives and made her stomach twist.

Tuffnuts dragon was gone forever. In its place he had created this haven blossoming with life of every kind. And in her carelessness her first words about it were an insult. She wanted to explode with thoughts of how incredible -and impossible- this place was, but she covered her mouth to keep more vile words from pouring out. Tears welled in her eyes as she began to see how the past years had laced her tongue with poison.


	13. Chapter 13 - Hypericum Perforatum

After caring for numerous animals and dragons of all kinds, Tuffnut requested a Gronkle spit up some lava to put a tea kettle on. As the tea water simmered in the kettle, Astrid watched Tuffnut harvest some of the stems of an unrecognizable plant. It was a light green plant with small bright yellow flowers.

What was more strange than the unfamiliar plant was how prolifically it grew within the confines of the haven Tuffnut had created. Even a few dragons Astrid knew to be fully carnivorous were munching idly on a few leaves.

Tuffnut rinsed the stalk covered in leaves in the stream and plucked the smallest and most tender leaves off of it. He sprinkled the leaves in the kettle. He wafted some of the vapor coming from the kettle towards his face and inhaled deeply. Then returned to harvesting new stalks.

"What are those?" Astrid asked as a familiar scent drifted lazily through the air. It was the same tea he had been drinking when she had gotten there and he had also offered it to her at dinner. She knew she enjoyed its flavor, but started faintly worrying about a Loki trick again.

"It's Hypericum perforatum. One of the traders brought it through and said it was quite helpful in soothing an agitated mood. It doesn't exactly erase whats wrong, but I find it makes it easier to forget unhelpful frustrations. You don't have do drink it if it bothers you." Tuffnut's eyes were downcast as he attempted to dispel the memories that haunted him when he thought too hard about it.

Tuffnut held a steaming cup out to Astrid, not so close that she felt threatened but also not so far that she couldn't accept. With slight hesitation she took the cup and looked into its amber contents. "I know you will never fully forget the jokes I have played on you. But there are things all of us are trying to forget. So we keep breathing and keep trying to forget."

"And we drink tea to help us?" Astrid laughed slightly. She knew she was making light of a dark situation, but she didn't have the strength to face her own demons right now. At his silence Astrid worried that Tuffnut had taken offense.

She looked up at him, but instead found him smiling. "It's not your fault. None of this is your fault." He reassured, but Astrid still felt a twisting in her stomach. Logically she knew she couldn't have prevented Barf and Belches death any more than she could have prevented Stoick's. But telling herself didn't stop the feeling of guilt.

She looked up at him again and her eye caught an eyelash that had fallen on his cheek. She carefully picked it from his face, holding it out on one finger. "Make a wish." She said, trying to blink back her own feelings with another joke.

Tuffnut closed his eyes for a long moment, finally blowing the eyelash off of her finger. She knew he had made a silent wish, and it was taboo to ask what the wish was. She couldn't help herself. "What did you wish for?"

The moment of hesitation as he stared at her empty finger was long and Astrid felt he would never answer. She gave a sigh and returned to her tea. She had become almost distracted by the swirling bubbles on its surface when he spoke again.

"To spend as much time with you as possible." Tuffnut breathed. He looked ashamed of what he said, and looked away from her. Astrid reached a hand out to him, but he jerked away from her unconsciously. "I know you hate me, and you always have. My sister and I were a burden to all of you. But now she's become a normal participating part of life on Berk… and I've become… become…" Tuffnuts words escaped him.

"Free?" Astrid offered. It was the only word she had to describe his new life. Free. Without anyone or anything stopping him. He created a peaceful fortress, with an abundance of a calming herb in every corner. A raccoon stiffed her boot and Astrid wondered not for the first time if they had made a mistake in ignoring Tuffnut's potential with animals.

A/N: Thank you my beloved reviewers! With every comment you make my heart sing! I apologize that I was unable to make a note to you yesterday due to my lack of time. Hopefully I will still have time this weekend!

Katurdi, The SkrillRider, Mia, I am Moonsong , lp24, and DragonRider015. You have all brought light to a dark and troubling time. I thank you for your kindness!

The Skrillrider: Thankfully no, but the wolf in the story was one of his reasons for founding the sanctuary! It helped him realize that dragons were not the only creatures that needed a place to stay safe. An animal that seems ferocious in the wild is often either terrified or starving. Both options would be enough to weigh down Tuffnut's heart.


	14. Chapter 14 - Hiccup

-Hiccup-

Hiccup awoke in a cold sweat from yet another tormenting nightmare. He knew the stress was getting to him, but he didn't know what to do about it. More than anything he wanted to explain everything to Astrid, but the rules forbade him from doing so. For over two years he had succumb to the pressure of those rules mixed with his own… what could he call it… cowardice?

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was no coward of course. But this situation was about more than being brave or not. It was easy to dodge Astrid's questions and prying, just like he used to dodge his father when he was still obsessed with Hiccup becoming a ferocious dragon killing viking. Sidestep the conversation, and move on.

He knew this wasn't fair to Astrid, she deserved answers. But those answers could, and probably would, drive her away. He could lose his best friend by telling her the truth. She would be right to never forgive him.

Hiccup wished he had paid more attention when his father was teaching him how to be Chief. He wished he had accepted his fathers offer to go to Chief meetings on the other islands. He wished there was someone else on the island who could do this instead of himself. But he knew there was no one to take his place. The village had declared him Chief, and there was no one more qualified.

Yet, even as he dreaded his predicament he couldn't bring himself to hate it. He loved Astrid, but these Chief rules he hadn't paid attention to when he had the chance were going to take her from him. Or rather, they were going to take her from him.

He had even tried to be a poor enough mate for her to want to leave him first. That would be easier. But she was far to stubborn. So he was left in this sickening dilemma. One he couldn't quite bring himself to loath the way he wanted to.

The truth was, there was a secret Stoick had been keeping from him. A secret he was required to keep. A secret that he, and his entire village, could be banished for telling. A secret that he thought he would not have to share until it didn't matter anymore. That secret was Rule 187.8 part c in the Chieftains Code. An enormous Chief agreement that Hiccup had signed without reading (no one actually reads that stuff). Hiccup would rue the day he signed that agreement.

Still, the most painful part of it all was that he could not tell the person it affected the most.


	15. Chapter 15 - Loyalty

After a long day of caring for dragons and animals in the Haven, Astrid had cared for Stormfly, exhausted, but in a wonderful way. The next morning she awoke again to the smell of a delicious breakfast cooking. Today it was smoked yak bacon, eggs sizzled in bacon grease and a hot cup of Hypericum Perforatum tea.

"These eggs aren't from…" Astrid left the question hanging, unsure of how to phrase it. Tuffnut laughed and understood her meaning "no, these aren't Chicken's eggs. There are several other hens, and at Charlotte and Penny don't like to brood. So I check them every morning, and accept the ones they don't want to sit on. Popsi is pretty dubious as well. She once hid an egg under my bed and I didn't find it for a month." Tuffnut gave a sly look towards the chicken coop through the window.

There was a coop, but there wasn't really anything to prevent the chickens from wandering. Astrid couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of Tuff finding a rotten egg under his bunk. "It's not funny! I didn't find it until I accidentally crushed it when I was storing a box of old things!" Tuffnut exclaimed. But this only made Astrid laugh harder.

Wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes she wondered if he would be upset at her for laughing at his undesirable experience. Instead she was met with the sweetest gaze she could imagine. The corner of his mouth cocked into that crooked smile, just happy to see her laughing.

Astrid immediately coughed and looked away, trying to cover her blush. Why was he looking at her that way? When was the last time anyone had looked at her with eyes like that. She had to think of something, anything, to say.

"Is it… alright if I were to let Stromfly free in your Haven? I feel bad that she's cooped up in a pen while I lay in the grass and feed deer." Astrid said, trying to find a way to suppress the rising blush in her cheeks.

"Sure, but try to feed her Hypericum Perforatum for a few days before you do. The change in environment can be a bit hard on some dragons. And I don't want a Nadder having it out with a Monstrous Nightmare because they happened to want the same fish." Tuffnut said, and Astrid had a feeling that wasn't a hypothetical situation.

Astrid nodded gravely. Tuffnut offered to go with her to see Stormfly anyway. "She probably needs to stretch her wings by now." Tuffnut said, smiling as he cleaned up the empty dishes. "You could come for a flight with us." Astrid offered. Tuffnut froze.

He turned and looked at her, his eyes full of sorrow and pain. Astrid stood and walked to him as he set the dishes down on the table. "Tuff… Have you flown since…" Her words caught in her throat and he shook his head without her finishing. He was looking down at the ground, his face unreadable.

Astrid placed her hands on his shoulders, letting him know that she was there for him. His shoulders shook imperceptibly, and Astrid heard drops hit the wooden floor. She couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around him. Wishing her tight embrace could push the pain out.

Tuffnut was taller than Astrid, and noticeably bigger. Yet here and now he seemed to wilt into that teenage boy he had once been. His tears soaked through her shirt, and his limp arms slowly lifted to hold her back.

No matter how many years passed, it is not possible to overcome the death of a dragon. Without realizing it at first, Astrid began to cry as well. She cried for his pain and loss. And while she embraced him, she could feel all of his broken feelings flowing from his heart into hers.

As a long delayed memorial, the two vikings cried for a lost valiant warrior. One who would be forever missed. A twin headed friend, loyal to the end.

A/N: Hello all you wonderful readers! Due to a bizarre work situation I have many hours to write chapters, but no internet to post them with, and many hours with internet in my phone but my phone does not post chapters or respond to messages here in fanfiction. If I ever fail to address a question, it is most likely due to my eagerness to share the next portion of the story with you, even if I don't have the time to go through comments. I will do my best to answer you, and brink attention to the most supportive among you!

I'm sure no one noticed, but Hypericum perforatum is a very real plant with essentially the same psychoactive properties mentioned. It goes by the common name St. Johns Wart and for some of us who have overactive minds it is practically a wonder drug. I have literally resolved feuds by the participants both taking a double dose and sitting down to talk it out. I'm not positive on the effect it has on dragons, and I am assuming it works the same way it does on humans. Look it up! You can buy it in any over the counter drug store.

KTCameleon: I absolutely love your reviews! I'm glad you found my story! I'm not prone to answering questions, but I do try to incorporate answers in future chapters. It may take a while for your question to come up, but its so much more fun than spoiling it! As for Tuffnut's change in personality... I think you'll agree that the metamorphosis makes sense. At least it will in the new future I have created for him, and that's the entire purpose of fanfiction!

SolarFury: I like you. Also, you are correct. Death threats are actually illegal, and if I went to the effort of tracking down the moron who sent it, they could be in a LOT of trouble.

Dragonrider15: Thanks! I wasn't sure, and didn't have the internet to check when I was writing it. Then I forgot to check haha. I'll do my best to change that as soon as I have time. I've been unsure on a couple of dragon names as well, and then it always slips my mind when I have internet back. I appreciate your tip! Also, your last long comment legitimately made me tear up when I first read it. Thank you! - Edit: Ok, I think I got all of them. Thanks for the tip! -

The Skrillrider: ... I keep feeling like you had a question I wanted to answer... But now I can't find it in the comments or in my email inbox... At least I thought it was you. If it was you, then I am dearly sorry for forgetting your question! If it was someone else, then I am even more sorry for remembering it being from the wrong poster.

All my other lovely readers: I have an exceptionally hard time getting online in a way that can allow the answering of reviews. If you are being courteous and kind but I neglect to answer you or mention you in an acknowledgement section, it is probably because I was rushing slightly in posting a new chapter. I have a full time job, and I am also taking 9 college credits... I apologize that I cannot take more time for you all, and I'm actually postponing an online test to write this present letter. As for receiving reviews, they come directly to my phone and the kind ones bring me immeasurable delight! Thank you for being patient with me!


	16. Chapter 16 - Chieftains Code

-Hiccup-

Chieftains Code Rule 187.8 part c clearly states:

"A Chief is bound to marry the daughter of another Chief. This is to keep the tie between the Chiefs strong, and therefor unite the villages the Chiefs in question represent. The bride may be chosen from any of the eligible and otherwise un-engaged Chiefs daughters available.

This article is void ONLY if the Chief in question is married prior to becoming Chief as he may have been unaware of the rules in the Chieftains Code. The Chieftains Code is NEVER to be discussed outside of the Chiefs hall where Chiefs and prospective Chiefs will discuss it. If these matters are discussed outside of the Chieftains meeting, then the Chiefs in question along with their entire village will be seen as enemies of those who are members of the United Chieftains Committee and therefore will be set in exile."

Hiccup read and re-read Rule 187.8 part c over and over, praying to finally find a way out of bindings it placed on him. His father had tried countless times to get him to attend the Chiefs meetings, and Hiccup had thought it just another ploy to force him into the job he never wanted.

Stoick had most likely assumed that he would still be Chief when Hiccup and Astrid were wed, and then this ridiculous article would be void. But Hiccups father had passed away before his time, and was unable to see the union through. Stoick had been sure that Astrid would be Hiccups wife… only now it was too late. Hiccup had become a Chief a year too early, and Astrid would pay the price.

A/N: Sorry that this chapter is so short and late my precious readers! I have several more chapters ready to post, and I plan to put the next one up tomorrow. I love hearing ideas, and sometimes even incorporate them into the story!

* * *

Thank you so much Coffee! You are always so encouraging!

I am Moonsong, and my other followers: I'm so sorry I stopped posting for a bit! I'm in the process of moving, as well as midterms at school and classes I need to take for work. Hopefully I'll post more regularly soon!

The Skrillrider: Thank you for your support! No, there will not be ANY lemons in this story. They would effectively pollute the entire purpose of this story. I'm really glad I have such a supportive reader 3

SolarFury: They are guests because they are cowards. They don't want to face any repercussions for their sick words, because if they HAD accounts, those accounts would be deleted for abuse. They are too pathetic to own up to the things they say, and they know that. Also, you'll notice that a vast majority of the worst comments are on chapter 1. The obvious reason being, they aren't reading ANYTHING except for the write-up and then getting mad because the write-up is something they don't like, so they take that out on me. There is at least one idiot who has been reading every chapter thus far, and then complaining loudly that I won't give answers to questions I have specifically stated that I won't answer. In short, they want me to post the ending of the story in the comment section because they are too impatient to wait for me to post the story in my own time. These comments have been deleted and comments that are obviously from this individual are not posted. This is the ONLY reviewer I have deleted thus far. In my mind they do not deserve to be on FanFiction if they can't accept the write-up without demanding explanations. Its also irritating, because as a guest account, they clearly look my story up regularly and specifically, or else they have it favorited on an account, but comment as a guest because they don't want to own up to their petulance. So I chuckle at their new comments, and then erase them. For the other hate comments, they make fools enough of themselves that I see no reason to protect them from ridicule by deleting their moronic comments. And my good readers deserve to read the opposition I face for nothing more than having a unique idea.


	17. Chapter 17 - Blue

Astrid had been living on the Edge now for more than a week, Stormfly was now well integrated into the Haven lifestyle. She had even made a few friends! Astrid had not gotten Tuffnut to fly with her, and instead chose to stay on the ground with him. She wanted to see the world through his eyes.

"You know, you never explained the end of the story on the wall near my room." Astrid pointed out as they were walking through the forest on a calm sunny day. Tuffnut laughed and tried a few times to change the subject. "You wouldn't understand." He finally admitted.

"I have seen the unbelievable since I've been here! A Fireworm King that bypassed us as equals, a dragon that had previously been believed to only be theoretical! A Thunderdrum and a Scaldron living peacefully in the same pond! A Skrill that stopped to take a drink of water next to a deer! And you're going to tell me I wouldn't believe it." Astrid mocked a pout, but tapped her ax in a way that suggested she was not joking.

Tuffnut held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, you win. We'll go see her. But you can't bring the ax." Astrid huffed slightly. She had just gotten ax privileges back a few days ago. She didn't like the thought of being without it again. "Fine. Can I bring my throwing knives?" Astrid asked, but Tuff shook his head.

The wandered back to the hut to unload Astrid's weapons, and then began a journey towards a set of small jagged mountains. It was a decently long walk, but not one they needed provisions for. And when they finally got to the small mountains, Astrid was out of breath.

"How do you manage this?" She panted, leaning on a tree. Tuffnut looked unaffected by the long walk. "I do it a lot. You don't really realize how little you walk when your on a dragon until you're stuck on foot." Astrid nodded at his words. Sweat had begun to bead on her forehead and it was dripping into her eyes.

She wiled the sweat from her brow and looked around "Well… where is it?" She asked, beginning to wonder why they had just walked all that way. "I need you to sit by that tree over there and not move or make a sound until I tell you to." Tuffnut said, pointing to a tree.

Astrid sat down, glad to not be walking anymore. As Astrid sat catching her breath, Tuffnut began to sing like he had in the tunnel. It didn't echo the same way this time, but it was still a haunting melody that made Astrid want to close her eyes and drift away in it. Typically Astrid wasn't much of a fan of music, but this was like nothing she had ever heard before.

As he sang Astrid closed her eyes and let the music flood her body. In a way it washed out her conscious thoughts, and she felt as though she too could spread her wings and leap to the sky like a dragon. She could feel the wind blowing on her face and under her belly. A call to soar through the clouds.

When the tune stopped Astrid opened her eyes and found herself nose to nose with a bright blue dragon. Astrid screamed as she realized what kind of dragon it was. Her body froze. It was a Slithersong. A never before tamed ferocious dragon that was as ready to kill its own kin as though it were an enemy. Astrid slammed her eyes shut, and put her arms up to protect her face from the amber attack.

* * *

A/N: Thank you Skrillrider! I was going to post this chapter yesterday, but ended up on the road all day. I don't like lemons. If you're going to write smut, then accept that you're a bad writer who can't to anything better than pseudo porn. That being said, I've tried to write smut before and I was terrible at it. I've found over time that there is more value to a story that dedicates itself to the character development rather than playing hide-the-salami.


	18. Chapter 18 - Aryila

-Hiccup-

Hiccup hated the Chieftains Code and the heinous rules it bound him by. Or at least he hated it until he met Aryila. Aryila was the second daughter of Vorgon the Brutal, and she joined her father for every Chieftains meeting she could get to. She was petite and passive. Nothing like Astrid who, by her nature, dominated everything she encountered. Aryila was creative and passionate, and lit up every time Hiccup showed her a new invention.

Hiccup didn't like Aryila more than Astrid per-say… He liked them differently. Astrid was his best friend that he could hang out with for hours. They had practically grown up together, and they had been inseparable since the dragons became a part of the village. They kissed sometimes, and other times they did more. But Hiccup felt like there was no spark in it.

He tried not to compare them. They were so different it was impossible to put them side by side. Aryila was terrible with weapons of any kind. She seemed to be able to cut herself just by being near a blade. She knew the entire Chieftains Code by heart, all 743 pages of it, even though she could only read it at the meetings.

Aryila had a passion for strategy and would challenge the oldest and wisest vikings she could find to play _Viking game_ with her. More often than not she won. Aryila would celebrate every single one of Hiccups inventions, even if it was nothing more than a tweak on an old model or a complete failure. She was delighted just to watch him try.

More than once she actually had ideas on how to fix his inventions, ways to make things lighter, ways to make internal parts smaller but still stronger. Hiccup wished he could take her back to Berk with him and show her some of the plans he was still working on. But the only way to take her to Berk would be to request her hand from Vorgon the Brutal and bring her back as a bride.

How could Hiccup explain to Astrid that he couldn't marry her because it would send the entire village into exile (even though he had considered doing so more than once). He could get the village exiled just by explaining it to her!

Then there was Aryila… Her hair the color of fire and her eyes the shade of the sky. Her bright smile always welcoming, only so that he could come home to Astrid trying to beat things he couldn't share out of him. He certainly didn't mean to develop feelings for Aryila. Certainly not love.

He was so certain… yet he couldn't get her out of his head.

* * *

A/N: The Skrillrider: I completely agree on Lemons. As for a self insert... Not really. I guess she does look like me, but its also simply easier for me to write. I'm hoping I'll eventually have time to write Aryila's story, as well as the Slithersongs. However, neither of those stories will be told in this fic. Sorry! And about a Slithersong's diet, that actually helps a lot! Where did you find that info? I did some passive research, but had a hard time finding much on Slighersongs. From what I was reading, they were effectively the same kind of dragon but the Deathsong was just a specific kind of Slithersong. In this story the Slithersong ends up eating fish anyway.

I am Moonsong: I have been extremely limited on time and internet. I've been trying to update when I can! I love getting nice reviews throughout the day =D


	19. Chapter 19 - Forgiven

Astrid braced for the attack that was sure to come. Her arms folded over her head, and her face turned to the side. Maybe she would get lucky and the blast of amber wouldn't close her nose and mouth. Yet the attack never came.

When Astrid peered through her folded arms, expecting to find the Slithersong poised and awaiting the perfect moment to attack, she instead saw it cowering and recoiling with Tuffnut trying to sooth it. "What are you doing?!" Astrid hissed through clenched teeth. "That THING is going to freeze you solid!"

Tuffnut shot Astrid a scathing glare that felt to her like a sword being rammed through her soul. "The only dangerous thing here is you." Tuffnut seethed, cradling the trembling Slithersong. His sharp words stung and her arms slowly dropped. The Slithersong had buried its face in Tuffnut's chest like a dog hiding from a rebuke.

Thats when she saw it. A scar around the dragons throat. It was old, but it looked like it had been extremely deep when it was new. Tuffnut stroked the dragons frills in attempt to comfort it. When he finally spoke it was slow and deliberate.

"You can pick up a sword or an ax at your choosing to either attack or defend. You can scream a battle cry, or in call for aid. You can speak to your friends and call them closer with your voice." When he looked back at her again tears were streaming down his face. "What would you do if you had all of that taken from you."

His words felt like a physical blow, and her brain churned sluggishly as she tried to process them. In the last few chaotic moments the dragon had not uttered a single sound. Not so much as a whisper. A dragon well known for using its siren song, not only to lure in pray but also to communicate with others of its kind. This reptilian siren was mute.

It also had not spat amber at her for her offense. Astrid recalled all too clearly how quick the infant Death Song had been to shoot amber at everything, including things it liked. Yet this dragon had not even attempted to freeze her in amber.

"What happened to it?" Astrid breathed. If the dragon was going to attack it would have done so already. Tuffnut ignored her question. "You need to sing to her. You need to let her know that you aren't going to hurt her."

Astrid nearly scoffed. She needed to comfort a murdering monster? She needed to make this untamable beast feel at ease? Yet she was also glad that she kept these thoughts to herself. The first time she had met Toothless, he had been ready to kill her on the spot and Hiccup had saved her. Wasn't a Night Fury supposed to be even more dangerous than a Slithersong?

Whatever had happened to this dragon had left it so completely and utterly powerless that this once proud beast cowered like a child when confronted with danger. "What am I supposed to sing? I can't sing like a dragon?" Astrid whispered, still afraid that this seemingly timid dragon could turn on her at a moments notice.

"Sing something that make you feel safe. Maybe something that your parents sang to you when you were little." Tuffnut said softly, still cradling the dragons head. "But… All of the songs my parents sang were about killing dragons!" Astrid hissed.

"Then hum the tune and ignore the lyrics!" Tuffnut was getting agitated. Panicking, Astrid began to hum. It was an awkward and tense tune, but the fins near the Slithersong's ears twitched in response. It was doing something at least. Astrid continued to hum and slowly became more fluid. She closed her eyes and let the song lead her where it wanted to go.

* * *

A/N: The idea for Aryila actually came from a conversation with Coffee. He's been a lot of help with some of the story writing concepts! Thanks MMM and The Skrillrider! The Slithersong ends up eating fish at any rate so I guess its a mute point. I'm trying to treat it a bit like animals would treat a venomous snake. I actually chose the Slithersong because they are relatively unmentioned and have a coloration that in a normal wild animal would indicate danger. Though... It should be red or orange if that were the case. But I didn't think a Typhoomerang would fit the role I had in mind. Too flashy.


	20. Chapter 20 - Nightmares

-Hiccup-

Maybe… just maybe… Astrid would ease into the sense of platonic friendship as well. She had been gone for a terribly long time. Maybe she would begin to see him as a brother? But who could Astrid meet to replace him. She would kill Fishlegs. Snotlout wouldn't last a day. Eret was already wed. And Tuffnut was to stupid to even consider. That Loki worshiping trickster had practically gotten himself banished.

Hiccup had thought about bringing Astrid to some of the other islands, but he worried that it would seem like a romantic getaway and that she'd only become more persistent. He could practically envision it.

"Hey Astrid, I wanted to take you to this beautiful island filled with single male vikings. I'm just going to go get some drinks and not come back." Hiccup planted his face in his palm just thinking about it. Not to mention he didn't even know what the other islands looked like, or if they had any better options than she had here. Either way, the pickings were slim on Berk.

He continued his monotonous fixing of saddles and answering of random requests. It seemed to Hiccup as though every saddle in Berk became damaged at once. He had deep circles under his eyes, and they only got deeper as the days ambled by. He worked 18hours a day, and for the few hours he got to sleep he had fitful nightmares.

These weren't ordinary nightmares, like being stuck on a sinking boat surrounded by a bunch of electric eels or anything simple like that. No. They were nightmares about Astrid crying her eyes out after Hiccup brought Aryila to Berk.

Aryila would prance through his dream like a sprite looking for a place to land, and he would want to follow her. Sometimes in the dream he would let go of the sobbing Astrid and do just that, unable to handle any more crying. Aryila would always lead him through a forest, and down a winding path he had never seen before but felt like he remembered perfectly.

She was like a will o' wisp dancing just out of reach, her hair burning upwards towards the sky and her limbs twisting like the lapping flames of a fire. If he followed for long enough she would lead him to a wide open field that looked like a rock from the sky had fallen long ago turning the earth into a deep creator, surrounded by sharp jagged mountains with a massive pit in the middle.

But over time the earth had reclaimed this land, the bottom of the pit had become a lake, teaming with water dragons. The jagged mountains perfect perches for Monstrous Nightmares and Timber Jacks. In the field around the lake every kind of pasture dragon he could think of rolled in the tall dragon nip that filled the creator.

It was perfect. Then the sprite-like Aryila would whisper in a voice much higher than her real one "Come with me. Come here and rest". Dream Hiccup would follow her out into the dragon nip and they would lay there, staring at the dragon filled sky until he fell asleep.

Then Hiccup would wake up. On the nights that Hiccup followed Aryila, he would wake up feeling excited… until he recalled the situations he was in. On the nights that Hiccup stayed with Astrid, he would awaken shaking and in a cold sweat. He would feel sick for the rest of the day, and sometimes the day after.

There was no way to console dream Astrid. Nothing he said made her stop crying. But how was it any worse than real Astrid, who would yell at him for not answering or ignore him for days without telling him why. Even now Astrid was off on some island, probably the Edge, and he half wondered if she would ever come back.

Life would be better and easier if she could fly off to a distant island and come back with a better suitor. Someone more fitted to her warrior personality. A muscular viking riding a Catastrophic Quaken or something. She could come back and say "I'm done with you, I've found someone better." And Hiccup would be free.

He would be free to ask for Aryila's hand from Vorgon the Brutal, and bring her back to Berk as the Chieftains wife. They could invent things together and she could give him solutions before he even went to all the work of building a prototype!

The could fly to distant islands, and maybe one day they could find the island from his dream. The one so familiar he felt like he had always been there. He didn't want to compare them, but it really would be nice to have someone who cheered for him rather than yelling at him.

* * *

A/N: Hello my lovely flowers! I'm in the process of moving. I'll try to keep putting up chapters and answering my wonderful reviewers as much as I can! The Skrillrider, you always make me smile!


	21. Chapter 21 - Lullaby

When Astrid finally finished singing she opened her eyes and found the dragon facing her, its head cocked at a curious angle. There was nothing malicious in its eyes, and Astrid couldn't believe the singing had worked! She closed her eyes and tentatively tried to do the thing Hiccup always did where he put out his hand and the dragon came to him.

The Slithersong made no move towards her. Astrid put her hand down in frustration. "I told you. The dragons here aren't tamed. You have to actually befriend them." Tuffnut said flatly, as though it should be obvious.

"I don't understand what you mean. This dragon looks tame. And its friendly enough. What am I doing wrong?" Astrid asked, she was getting rather annoyed. Tuffnut heaved a sigh. "I want you to close your eyes and think of your favorite moment in the past."

Astrid closed her eyes and tried to think. Was it living on the Edge? Was it time with her parents? Tuffnut interrupted her thoughts. "Don't force it. Think of nothing and let your dearest memory come to you. Deep inside, you know what that moment is."

Astrid tried to clear her mind. She tried to relax. She focused on her breathing and tried to ignore all of those things she usually worried about. Then, as if of its own accord something came to her. Flying. Riding on Stormfly's back. Not with any particular destination in mind, just flying freely. Those thousands of mornings that she let go of the world and took to the sky's.

This time when Tuffnut spoke, it was not an interruption but rather a guide. "You have that perfect moment from the past. Now look into the future. What does that perfect moment in the future look like?" His voice was deep and soothing.

Astrid's vision of past flights cleared into a more solid idea of flying here around the Edge. Flying around the haven. Flying on Stormfly with Tuffnut behind her. Tuffnut wrapping his arms around her waist. Then Tuffnut spoke again.

"With that moment trapped in your mind, I want you to open your mouth and let your voice come out. Not any specific words, I want the feeling you have in your heart to come flooding out of you."

Astrid tried to sing again. This time the melody was different. Astrid felt like the only thing she really controlled was whether her mouth was open or not, and once it was open the song could not be held back. Astrid focused on the feeling of flight around the Edge, the feeling of peace from the haven. The feeling of Tuffnut behind her in flight.

When the song ended of its own accord, Astrid pulled out of the almost trance like state and became more aware of her surroundings. There was a weight on her lap and she looked down to see the Slithersong laying on her legs.

It must have been asleep because it did not stir when the song ended. Astrid looked to Tuffnut who wore a proud crooked grin. "You did it. That's how you sing the dragons song." Astrid tilted her head in confusion.

"The dragons song is less about what words or tune you use, and much more about what is in your heart when you sing. The dragons can hear past the words and into your heart." Astrid blushed at his words and wondered how much this dragon understood from her song. Did it really know what she was thinking?

* * *

A/N: Great questions MMM! All will be answered in time =D And thank you DragonRider015!


	22. Chapter 22 - Music Box

-Hiccup-

Hiccup put the finishing touches on a music box he had been constructing for Aryila for several months. He didn't mean to be crafting gifts for Aryila and not Astrid, but he was inspired when he spoke to Aryila. It was hard to ignore inspiration.

The music box twittered a lovely tune that Aryila would hum when she was in a good mood. It was also covered in etchings of her favorite dragon. The Changewing. She said she loved them because they were so creative and playful.

When he tried to think up gifts for Astrid, he came up flat. She didn't like music or standard "pretty" things. He had gotten her ribbons for her hair and she had only worn them for the day. After that they sat on the counter and collected dust. What else could he make her?

He had crafted several axes for her, each one more ornate than the last. But most of the time she used the same old ax she'd been using since they lived on the Edge. She claimed it was to keep the ones he made for her looking nice, but the way she held that old ax made him believe differently. She missed life on the Edge. So did he when he thought about it.

Back on the Edge, life was easy. No hordes of vikings demanding for decisions to be made or saddles redesigned. No reason to worry about food supply or trade bargains with merchants.

The world didn't truly depend on them the way it did now. Sure, the village had needed them sometimes back them. But now he was needed every second of every day. Every day Hiccup wished he was more like his father or that his father was back to handle all of this like he used to.

Having his mother back was wonderful, but more often than not she was no where to be found. Off working on a project of her own. Hiccup could finally understand a little of how his father felt when Hiccup ran off.

Hiccup couldn't help thinking about his father, and missing him more each day. He pushed the tears out of his eyes like he always did and kept moving forward. But how much longer could he do this? Running the village, pretending that he can fill his fathers enormous shoes? On top of all of that, he needed to figure out what to say to Astrid when she came back. IF she came back.

* * *

A/N: Hello my darling flowers! I'm in the middle of moving, and its made it a bit more than difficult to put up posts. I'm supposed to be cleaning out my closet, but some how stumbled here instead haha... This is much more fun than cleaning my closet.

A special thank you to MMM, Dragonrider015, and The SkrillRider!


	23. Chapter 23 - Show Me

Truly now Astrid had seen everything. Even a friendly Slithersong. She and Tuffnut had ventured further up the mountain to watch the sunset from its top. Unconsciously, Astrid found herself leaning against him. He was so different from the Tuffnut she had known as a kid. But weren't they all different now? Except Snotlout. Nothing about Snotlout had changed in the slightest.

"You should go back to the village." Tuffnut whispered. She could hear the heartache in his voice. He didn't want to be telling her this any more than she wanted to hear it. Astrid sucked in a sharp breath of air. "Why." She said simply. She didn't want to go to Berk.

"I would be glad to have you here forever. But this is not were you belong. You are committed to Hiccup and it is not my place to take you from him." He said, his voice soft and gravely. Even thinking about it made Astrid's stomach churn with displeasure.

"What is all this. Why did you do all this if you were just going to send me back empty handed." Astrid was getting more emotional than she had planned. Her words were filled with anger and pain. She wanted to stay on the Edge. How could he just push her out like this?

"You asked me do do something for you. And I have completed your request. It is only honorable that I send you back to where you belong. With who you belong with." His voice was soft and steady, but his hands were shaking and his body was trembling slightly.

"I don't want to go back. He doesn't even talk to me anymore." Astrid muttered, her anger taking over. Suddenly, something he said hit her. "What did I ask you to do? When did I ask you to do anything?" Astrid was taken aback.

"When you first arrived, you asked me to show you what it was like to be loved. To be loved without anyone expecting anything out of you. The way love should be, not the way it has ended up for you." Still his voice was steady, but she could feel the muscles clenching under his skin.

Astrid was taken aback. That's what all of this had been. The bath, the massage, the food. All some twisted display because of something she had said when she was fuming about Hiccup? "That's all this was? Some sort of show?" Astrid couldn't stop the vile words from pouring from her mouth. She knew what she said was poison.

Tuffnut rose to his feet. He towered over her and Astrid realized just how much bigger than her he was. At least a foot taller than her and his shoulders were twice as wide. He looked like a hulking shadow with the setting sun at his back.

"You asked me to show you what love should be. So I loved you. I showed you every kind of love I had to give. I have opened my heart and gave you all of my secrets. I have given you everything I have to give. But there is one last thing I must give. I need to give you back. It would not be love to take you from him.

You are a warrior and belong by the side of a leader. I'm the town scapegoat. I live as an outcast. It would be wrong of me to ask you to stay here in the world of the banished. I have given you everything. And now I must give you back." Tuffnut spoke vehemently, and looked intimidating. But his entire body was trembling.

Astrid wanted to leap to her feet and embrace him. She wanted to say that she was going to stay here forever and that Hiccup could hang it on a dragons tail. She wanted to say so many things. Yet what came out of her mouth instead was sickening and terrible.

"Fine! I'll go back to Berk. Maybe I won't even come back. Maybe now that I've been 'shown proper love' I'll be able to work things out with Hiccup and all of this will fall into the past. Just like life on the Edge did last time. Nothing more than a nice memory to reminisce on. And you can stay here and be alone with Chicken and Jörmungandr and that Slithersong forever. All by yourself."

Astrid wanted to throw up. Why couldn't she ever control her mouth. She didn't mean any of that! Why would those things even come to mind! Astrid wanted to scoop up all of those terrible words and shove them back in her mouth. But they were out now. And they said the opposite of what she wanted to say.

The large shadow of Tuffnut froze. After a long moment he strode past her, back down the mountain. As he moved past her the light caught his face, and she could see tears flowing down his cheeks. Astrid felt her own cheeks and found them to be wet as well. What had she done…

* * *

A/N: Thank you DragonRider015!


	24. Chapter 24 - Lier

-Hiccup-

Hiccup and Aryila had gotten out of the Chieftains meeting only an hour ago, and it was common for Chiefs to linger and relax for a day before returning home. There would be a feast later in the evening, but for now the two of them could enjoy some hours to talk and watch the dragons soar through the sky.

"Hiccup," Aryila interrupted his thoughts. "What is the purpose of lying?" This was not an uncommon question for her. She would ask these sorts of questions to many people and Hiccup assumed it was to help her understand peoples perceptions of their own underlying motives. What she meant was "Why would YOU lie?" Which is quite a different question.

"Well…" Hiccup had to think carefully about what he said, as she would not soon forget his answer. "I would lie to protect someone I cared about. If telling the truth would hurt them, I would have a hard time being honest." Aryila was silent at his words. Processing them for a long time.

"In your mind, lying is a kindness?" She summarized. Hiccup always hated the way she rephrased his words. But according to what he had said, it was not inaccurate. She was trying to get to the root of his answer. Hiccup thought hard about his reply.

"When I first found Toothless, my father still hated dragons and wanted to kill them. If I had told my father the truth, that I had my own Nightfurry hidden in the woods, he would have sent the entire town out to kill him. So I lied. I lied a lot of times to a lot of people to keep anyone from finding out about him. I even told Astrid that I was getting into costume making to try to throw her off my trail!" Hiccup chuckled at the memory.

Aryila looked confused and concerned. "You lied to my rival? About something as important as Toothless? Why does she still trust you?" Aryila's words stung like a Nadder flinging spikes into his heart. He coughed awkwardly and attempted to explain.

"First off, that was before we had anything… you know. That was before we liked each other. Second, the first time she saw Toothless they almost tried to kill each other. Third, of course she still trusts me." The last felt bland on his tongue. He said it, but with recent events he wasn't sure he believed it himself. Who was he lying to now?

"You kept a deadly secret, and you blame her for not responding well to the revealing of your lies?" She wasn't upset, but rather stating the situation as she saw it. She was trying to understand. "Well… I thought if she knew about Toothless, she would try to kill him. And I was right! She did." Hiccup tried to instill some amount of finality into his voice. But he was failing.

"So you reason that it was good to lie because you did not trust her to respond reasonably to the truth." Aryila rationed out. Hiccup nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this. "So when you think Astrid will not respond well to the truth, it is good to lie to her?" And there it was. The truth that Hiccup had been trying to avoid in his own mind.

"Well… I mean… what would she do if I told her the truth now? If I tell her about you, I get my village banished. If I stay with her, I get my village banished. My best hope is that she leaves me first, but doesn't hate me. But there's not a lot of other guys in our village!" The words tumbled out before he could keep them in. The thoughts that had been churning in his brain since this all started. Hiccup hated himself.

Aryila nodded sagely. Taking a minute to think about all he said. "You love her more, but you lie to her to protect the village." She stated simply. "No, I mean. I love her differently. Its complicated." Hiccup blurted out. He had no idea how to explain this to anyone, let alone her.

"You love me?" Aryila's eyes were wide and hopeful. Hiccup felt like he was trying to swallow a rock as his mouth opened and closed with futility. "I-… uh… I mean. I think so?" It was a pathetic answer, but he had no idea what to say.

Finally an idea came to him. "Aryila, you're a strategist. If you were in my place, what would you do? I really like you both, but its a different kind of like. She's more like a best friend, and you're… well… something else. Anyway, I can't tell her what's going on. But I hate leaving her in the dark like this. It's driving me crazy." Maybe Aryila could think of the solution that eluded him.

Aryila lay back in the grass to think. Saying nothing. He knew she would not speak again until she had a proper answer. Hiccup lay back in the grass as well and let his mind wander. What was Astrid doing now? Was she missing him, or hating him?

* * *

A/N: The SkrillRider and DragonRider015, thank you for your much appreciated support! If I succeed, there will be so many more emotions to come! I'm curious to hear what you think of this one. It's one of my favorites! But so is this whole section haha. Things will get much more interesting soon... Also, I really like Aryila. She's developing quite nicely. I may have to write more about her later.


	25. Chapter 25 - Dreamcatcher

Astrid stumbled back down the mountain in the dark. Just when she thought she was completely lost, she saw a glint of blue. The Slithersong slipped up beside her, nudging its nose under her hand. She stroked its smooth skin, and it began leading her. It didn't take her directly back to the house, but rather took a winding path she had never seen before.

It took her through a deep canyon, and over a small river. In the moonlight this world was beautiful. It was a full moon tonight, and the leaves on the trees glittered with an erie blue hue. The world was silent and she could hear the slight rustling of night animals searching for food.

They came upon a wolf pack. But rather than show any ferocity, the wolves dipped their heads in respect and moved on. Later that night their jaws would see the end of a rabbits life, but for now they disappeared into the night. Astrid was not sure what the Slithersong was trying to say, but she kept following it.

The world was almost dream-like in its peacefulness, and if it wasn't for the cold slick skin under her hand, she would be sure she was dreaming. What she had said to Tuffnut still rattled in her head, and she didn't know how to fix what she had said.

The Slithersong lead her to the edge of a valley filled with blue flowers. The whole field glittered in the moonlight, like a sea of roiling dragon scales. In the middle of the field was Tuffnut. He stood silently staring at the moon.

Astrid felt embarrassed, as though she had stepped into a private moment. She made no sound to let him know of her presence, and neither did the Slithersong. Without warning Tuffnut bellowed at the sky. Shouting so loudly Astrid was sure the entire island could hear him. She could barely make out the words over the volume of his shouting.

"I hate you Loki! You've had the last trick! You've pulled every prank there is to play on me! You took my dragon, my sister and now the closest thing I've ever had to love! I hate you! You win! Now have mercy and let me go to Valhalla. I'd rather die than have another prank from you!" His voice echoed off of the mountains, reverberating in the silence.

Astrid covered her mouth in horror. Thats what he thought this was. Tuffnut thought that Astrid's coming was just another prank from the trickster god Loki. Maybe he really did have feelings for her. He was ready to send her away for her own good, but he would rather go to Valhalla than loose her? Astrid could hardly process what she was hearing.

As Astrid leaned against a tree, breathing deeply as Tuffnut's words rang in her ear she heard the slow thumping of powerful wings. A massive shadow descended over the valley and what landed took Astrid's breath away. It was a Timberjack.

The Timberjack had come to Tuffnut's shouting the same was Stormfly would come to Astrid if she screamed. The Timberjack put its head down by Tuffnut's legs and urged him to climb on its back. Astrid could barely hear his voice. "You know I don't ride anymore, Dreamcatcher." Tuffnut may not have chosen a new dragon, but a dragon had certainly chosen him.

The dragon lay down in the field of flowers, it looked like it was crushing half of the valley with its massive size. But when it lifted a wing or a tail, the flowers were unharmed. Timberjack's were huge, but evidently exceptionally light.

It continued nudging him, prodding Tuffnut with his snout. It was a playful dragon trying to comfort its distressed rider. Even if Tuffnut never got on its back, this Timberjack had certainly bonded to him. "She's going back to Berk, Dreamcatcher." Tuffnut said to the dragon, holding its giant head in his hands.

"She doesn't belong here. She's to be the Chieftains wife, not the Outcasts Queen. I want her here as much as you do. But I won't make her stay." The Timberjack nuzzled his hands and began to nibble on his head.

The dragon was licking his hair up into a ridiculous swirl when Tuffnut laughed and said "Fine. If she wants us to go to Berk with her, then I'll ride you there. But only because I'll need a ride back to the island as well. How's that sound?"

"I think it sounds good." Astrid said, stepping out of the tree line. Tuffnut stepped away from her in shock. He had assumed she had just gone back to the hut. He turned deep red and looked ashamed as he held the dragon's muzzle. "I won't go if you don't want me to." He muttered.

"I would really like it if you came." Astrid said, stepping closer. "I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't mean any of it. I'm dealing with a lot right now, and I'm not handling it well. Will you come with me back to Berk tomorrow?" Astrid asked with a small smile.

Tuffnut pressed his forehead to the dragons snout in contemplation, and finally nodded. Astrid looked up at the massive bulk of the burnt orange Timberjack. "If you've had a dragon this whole time, why don't you ride them anymore?" Astrid asked. Trying to change the subject.

"I was a devout follower of Loki's. But being the worshiper of a god of pranks turned out to be much more trouble than it was worth. Its been a twisted game he plays to get me to love something, and then take it away from me. I worried that if I ever started riding dragons again, I would loose them just like I lost…"

The words caught in his throat and unspoken they hung in the air. Astrid tried to think of something to say, but came up dry. "What if… what if you started worshiping a different god?" Astrid suggested, knowing it was a dumb idea.

"Like who." Tuffnut spat. "Thor? Yeah, he's gonna be real fond of me after I worshiped Loki for my entire life." Tuffnut grumbled. Astrid had to think fast, mentally flipping through every god and goddess she could think of. One that didn't hate Loki and his followers. That was not a good list.

"What about Freyja?" Astrid asked, trying to fill the silent air. "The goddess of love and fertility?" Tuffnut asked, raising an eyebrow. Astrid hadn't thought about that. "Well. She's also the goddess of war. And since she's the goddess of love, maybe she'll be extra forgiving?" Astrid hoped she sounded convincing.

Tuffnut gave a resigned sigh. "We'll go back to Berk tomorrow and what happens after that is in your hands." He said softly, stroking Dreamcatcher. Astrid knew it was the closest she was going to get to encouraging him. What more could she say? She honestly didn't know what would happen when she went to see Hiccup.

* * *

A/N: QueenOfTheFans: Welcome to the party! I would be delighted to hear your thoughts on my story!

I am Moonsong and The SkrillRider, thank you so much for your continued support my precious flowers! I think we're all a little curious to see how this turns out... To be quite frank, I haven't decided yet!

DragonRider015: I'm really starting to like her more than I expected to! I may write a oneshot or two about her haha. But the question of how to handle a pathological liar is a tough one for me. Especially when the one doing the lying perceives that they are doing a good thing. It seems terrible to present Hiccup in this manner, but he does quite a lot of truth twisting and dodging... Once someone is well known to conceal the truth, when do we decide to trust them again? This is brushed over in the cartoon when Hiccup lies so much about Heather... but that brings up the painful reality that even when he perceives people as being on "his side" he will still lie to them if he thinks its the right thing to do.

So where does that line get drawn? When is it time to lie, and when is it time to open up the painful truth? His lying in this story is based on him not believing that Astrid could keep this secret to herself. In a sense, he conveys that he does not think his secrets are safe with anyone, not even her. This is more of a thinking point to me... because I see it so much in real life. What secrets do we all keep because we believe those we keep closest either wouldn't understand, or else wouldn't keep to themselves... We all have them.

What is your decision when you know your secrets will destroy someone? Tell them and hurt them? Or try to take your secret to your grave?...

Even more importantly... What is your secret?


	26. Chapter 26 - Boomer

-Hiccup-

Aryila had gone back inside to pour over the Chieftains Code book searching for a proper answer to Hiccup's situation. She had not spoken a word since he had posed her with his question. Maybe she could find the answer that he could not. Now they were back in the grassy spot and Aryila had the Chieftains Code book open, slowly turning page after page.

"Chieftains Code Rule 192.3 part f subsection Alpha states that in the incident that a new Chieftain has competing interests between the village and the Chieftains Comity, he is permitted to bring a representative from both the village as well as the Chieftains Comity to discuss the differing interests. In this way, the Chieftains Code as well as the village's interests may both be preserved." Aryila read with an air of finality.

"But Rule 192.3 is in regards to fishing rights." Hiccup sighed, throwing his arm over his face in frustration. He had already read that one three times. "Yes, but part f subsection Alpha does not specifically reference fish in any way, and could be interpreted to mean ANY differing interests." She stated with a wry smile.

Hiccup thought about it. Part f certainly mentioned fishing rights, but she was correct. Subsection Alpha never clarified whether it was about fish or not. It was a minuscule loop hole, but it was a loop hole none-the-less. And maybe the one Hiccup had been searching for. "Thats perfect. But who would I bring from either side to talk this out?"

Hiccup waited for an answer, but her only reply was a silent smirk. He knew exactly who she wanted him to bring to the discussion. "No. Oh no. You are not getting me to bring you to Berk so you can fight things out with Astrid. No no no no." Hiccup couldn't think of a worse idea if he tried! Yet, he also couldn't think of a better idea.

Aryila would be able to explain the situation to Astrid in a clear and final way, and there was no one better from Berk to explain this to than Astrid herself. But even thinking about it, Hiccup could feel Astrid slipping away from him. In a way, he was simply having Aryila break up with Astrid for him.

"Isn't there a better way?" Hiccup asked softly. He knew it was the best option, but he still hated it. He didn't want to leave Astrid alone. And how could she live a normal life in the village as 'The Chieftains Ex-Girlfriend'. Hiccup sucked in a deep breath of air. He knew when he had been defeated.

"Fine. When do you want to go." Hiccup whispered. Aryila on the other hand lit up like a feeding Flightmare. "Let's leave tomorrow morning." She stated. "That early? Why?" Hiccup blurted, sitting up rapidly. "If we wait you will change your mind. Being indecisive on this will not do you any good." She had a good reason.

"We'll go tomorrow. Do you want to ride on Toothless with me, or bring Boomer?" Hiccup muttered. Boomer was Aryila's dragon. A dragon that just so happened to be a Thunderdrum. Hiccup wasn't partial to Boomer, but he's been a great help when the Chieftains were fighting and Hiccup and Aryila couldn't get a word in edgewise. One good roar from Boomer and suddenly Aryila had the floor.

"I'll take Boomer of course. I'm sure he needs the exercise. He hasn't done many long flights in a while." Aryla said, standing up and pulling Hiccup to his feet. "Does it really count as flying if he never leaves the surface of the water?" Hiccup asked. Being a water dragon, Boomer wasn't often truly airborne.

"He does jumps sometimes." Aryila said with a mock pout. She always got giddy when she won an argument. Even though Hiccup effectively lost, it was hard not to laugh with her. "Tomorrow we skim to Berk!" Hiccup shouted, pumping a fist into the air. He succeeded in making Aryila laugh again. She was beautiful when she laughed.

* * *

A/N: Good morning lovely readers! I am updating from a phone, so it is difficult for me to respond do comments. But I have had some truly wonderful individuals comment and PM me as of late. Thank you so much! I'm posting this from my phone so you won't have to wait as ling for this chapter. I'll do my best to respond to individuals soon. Thank you my beautiful gems!


	27. Chapter 27 - Flight

Astrid saddled up Stormfly, and Tuffnut took one of the old saddles from the barn and was able to make a makeshift saddle for Dreamcatcher. "I have a question." Astrid began. "Why is your dragon named Dreamcatcher? I would think he'd be more of a 'Thunderwing' or something." She had been wondering that since she'd first heard its name.

Tuffnut laughed. "When I first got back to the Edge, Dreamcatcher was one of the first dragons I ran into. He had gotten a Nadder spike stuck in his back from a fight, and he couldn't reach it to pull it off. I was able to get it for him, and after that he wouldn't leave my side.

I had the idea of what I wanted the haven to look and be like, but I wasn't able to do it myself. You think I could have gotten those logs 100 feet in the air? He came and helped me out. Because of him my distant and impossible concept became a functioning reality. So I call him Dreamcatcher, because he caught my dream." Tuffnut laughed as he tightened one of the leather straps that held the saddle on.

"Alright Dreamcatcher, you've been trying to get me to do this for years. So let's make it happen." With that he hopped onto the saddle and Dreamcatcher was out the door before Astrid could blink.

"Stormfly, go!" Astrid ordered and Stormfly raced to the door with Astrid still fastening the last straps on the saddle. Tuffnut and Dreamcatcher were already out of sight when they reached the door. "Stormfly, up!" Astrid barked, frantic to find her friends.

Flying above the stable, Astrid twisted her head in every direction. How was it possible for a dragon so massive to vanish so fast? Astrid kept looking about, squinting to look in every direction. Faintly Astrid could hear a high pitched scream that was slowly growing louder. "Tuffnut?" Astrid called, trying to pinpoint the direction the screaming was coming from.

No matter which direction she looked in, it sounded as though it were coming from all sides. Suddenly the answer dawned on her like a rock in her stomach and Astrid looked up just in time for a massive orange blur to zip past her towards the dark blue ocean. The high pitched scream followed the orange blur and Astrid shouted for Stormfly to follow it.

Just before the streak collided with the water, giant sun burnt wings ballooned out and brought everything to a halt. When Astrid caught up to them, Tuffnut's dreadlocks were sticking out behind him in a cartoonish phantom of motion. Tuffnut's chest rose and fell with deep breaths, his eyes wide and his mouth still open from his scream.

For a moment the only movement was the slow flapping of dragon wings and Tuffnut's chest as he tried to catch his breath. He turned slowly to face Astrid, his hair finally beginning to droop. "Are you alright?" Astrid asked, wishing she could fly close enough to put a hand on his shoulder.

"That… was… AMAZING!" Tuffnut proclaimed through deep breaths. The next hour was spent practicing dips and swoops that were only made possible by a wingspan larger than the great hall. Turns were exceptionally slow, but the dives were extraordinary.

"I want to keep playing… but if we want to get to Berk before you tire your dragon out, we should leave now." Astrid said after a particularly impressive swoop towards the ocean. Tuffnut's laughter vanished and his smiling face went somber. Astrid's insides squirmed, but she could find no words to comfort him.

"Let's go." Tuffnut said, barely loud enough for Astrid to hear it and he guided the Timberjack towards the path to Berk. Dreamcatcher naturally wanted to fly much higher than Stormfly was capable of, and they had to find an awkward medium.

Once Dreamcatcher was just flying, it didn't actually flap much. It simply glided. After several miles of gliding with only one or two flaps, Tuffnut's Timberjack veered quite suddenly off course. "Where are you going Dreamcatcher?" He protested, but tugging on the dragons saddle or harness did him little good.

This didn't actually bother Tuffnut much as he was accustom to his mount not following directions. But historically that had been because his sister was pulling in the other direction, not because his dragon had an opinion. "Where are you going?" Astrid shouted to him, but Tuffnut could only shrug in response. His dragon seemed to know what it was doing, so he was going to hold on for the ride.

* * *

A/N: I am so exited about the next few chapters! I really can't wait for you all to read them! And no, I'm not posting them all right now. But I'll do my best to update more often than I am now. The move is going well, and our official last day is the 15th. So no matter what happens, this chaos will have to be wrapped up by then no matter what! Oh, and more comments will make me update faster!

Responses from Ch 25:

The SkrillRider: I'm so sorry I couldn't reply to your last comment on time. So in researching to find a God/Goddess that didn't hate Loki I ended up getting distracted and buying a book called Runic and Heroic Poems of the Old Teutonic Peoples. Now my search history suggestion list thinks I'm getting my masters in linguistics history and theory... Which is even more funny because I'm going for agriculture and natural resources... End all, I ended up just rolling with Freyja because, as you stated, there aren't many other options. I would have preferred the Goddess Epona, but I think she's Celtic and not Nordic. Or Hel, but I doubt anyone has done enough research to know about our lovely Goddess of Death. Also, I think she hates dear old daddy anyway.

Guest: Not all who comment without pen names are as goodhearted and kind as you. Some are blind to the story I tell no matter how many pages they read, and in the end I pity them. They read a story about love striving through pain, and all they can see is the hate they feel because they fundamentally disagree with an artistic choice. It is akin to despising the Mona Lisa because paintings of people should incorporate eyebrows. Yet they lack the common sense to ignore something that causes them so much anguish. Thank you for your words of kindness!

Responses from Ch 26:

The SkrillRider: Heeheehee Ayrila ends up getting so much personality development! She's so fun to write for! She may end up with her own story just because of that haha... I wouldn't be surprised if she makes an appearance in the book I plan to write.

MMM: I'm not sure exactly. I have a few side stories I'd like to write. Did you have anything in mind?

DragonRider015: I actually do quite a lot of reading before inserting each dragon that makes an apperance haha If you were to ask Aryila what her favorite dragon is, it would definitely be a Changewing. But a Thunderdrum just seemed so perfect for her! I had the same difficult choice when trying to figure out what dragon to give Tuffnut when we all know that his soul dragon is a Zippleback, but those need two to ride... I think I picked a Timberjack because I think they're really pretty. Now I need a way to put in a Typhoomerang...


	28. Chapter 28 - Hope

-Hiccup-

The sun was shining, the sky was blue. It was a beautiful day for a flight. Hiccup enjoyed pulling a few practice stunts on Toothless, partly because he needed a warm up and partly to impress Aryila. He did a few swoops and dives, practiced releasing each other in flight and then regaining himself before they both crashed. There were certainly a few wobbles, but nothing serious.

Hiccup hated the idea that doing his job as chief would mean less and less time to fly Toothless. He idly scratched his dragons neck, worried about what the future would hold. Down below him Aryila skimmed over the top of the water with Boomer. They rarely actually touched the water, but her dragon seemed much more comfortable inches above the waters surface.

Hiccup and Toothless swooped down to fly next to Aryila in the light spray of the ocean. "What would you do if you were chief?" Hiccup asked, grasping at straws for conversation. He received much more than he had expected to. Aryila suddenly launched into a long explanation on how she would do things differently in her village to make things better, and Hiccup realized a little too late that many of the things she was saying were actually going over his head.

She was talking about a tax to implement so that there would be funds to help vikings in need or pay the workers to build new structures. It occurred to Hiccup that Berk had never had a tax system before. Vikings just built things when they were needed. But that usually meant that the best crafters in the village were preoccupied. Because of that the structures were usually built by the least experienced like Spitelout or Bucket and Mulch.

Maybe major structures would last longer if they could pay the vikings making them… When Hiccup tuned back into what Aryila had been saying it was something about a "Chiefs Suggestion Box"? Apparently its purpose was to give vikings a place to vent without keeping the chief from important tasks. "Well, who's going to read all the suggestions?" Hiccup asked, confused by the twists and turns her one sided conversation was taking.

"I would hire an assistant. Now that there isn't much of a career in dragon fighting, I'm sure there are one or two vikings who are actually good with papers and organization." Aryila stated with finality. Hiccup thought for a moment. "You know, I have this friend Fishlegs… he's really good with all of that stuff. He memorized the entire book of the dragons, and before I met you he was the one who would help me sort out my inventions!"

Aryila raised an eyebrow. "I would be delighted to meet this Fishlegs. He could be a valuable asset." The last was said as though she were speaking to herself. "You act like you're actually going to be chief someday." Hiccup laughed, meaning for it to be joking. The sudden cold glare from Aryila let him know that she was much more serious about this than he had been.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III. You may not have wanted your birthright as chief. But I DO. I have wanted to be chief for my entire life!" Aryila practically shouted. Hiccup had never seen her this emotional before. It wasn't like her to get so passionate… and about taking the job he doesn't want that she couldn't have? Hiccup was almost speechless.

"But you're a-a-" Hiccup stammered, but he was interrupted by Aryila. "I'm a woman. And a woman can't be chief. Well thats the old rule. And in the old rules vikings can't ride dragons. Yet, here we are." Aryila gestured to Toothless and Boomer. "There isn't actually anything in the Chieftains code that says a woman can't be chief. It does say that if the chief has a son, they automatically become the new chief, but that doesn't mean a woman can't BE chief." Aryila finished, breathing hard with emotion.

Hiccup thought about it for a long time. Ayrila was certainly bending rules… she was finding loopholes… but thats exactly what Hiccup loved about her. She found ways to get things done without actually breaking rules. It was because of that same reasoning that she was coming now to talk things over with Astrid.

Hiccup gave a long sigh. "You're right. If I can ride a dragon, then a woman can be a chief." Aryila visibly relaxed at his words. Hiccup continued. "Plus, you would be way better at it than me anyway. You actually think about this sort of stuff, and I just want to go explore new islands and find new dragons…" It wasn't until Hiccup said it out loud that he realized how much he meant it. He wanted his dad back so that he could just… explore.

"You know…" Aryila said softly. "If you and I were to wed, then I could take care of the chieftains duties and you would be free to wander. I would have my dream and you would have your freedom." The temptation in her words was undeniable. "What about Astrid?" Hiccup asked. "I thought thats what this whole trip was about? To face that situation." Ayrila stated with a shocked look.

Aryila calling Astrid a "situation" gave Hiccup a dark feeling, but the temptation of freedom was overwhelming. A perfect solution to something he had been agonizing over his entire life. Technically she would just be the chiefs wife, but it would give her enough sway in the community that she could handle all of that annoying responsibility. It was like she was pointing out a small light at the end of a long tunnel. All Hiccup could think about was flying.

* * *

A/N: Finally, I can actually post two days in a row!

The SkrillRider: See, I agree with you on all that... but that begs the question, of the gods/goddesses that don't hate Loki as much as the rest... which one would the new and reformed Tuffnut want to worship? And Epona is Roman? That makes sense. I only know her from the song A Rose for Epona by Eluveitie. Great band by the way. From what I understood she was both pack animals and war, but its been a bit since I did my research on her. The speed stats aren't too clear and most of the other stats can be gathered by looking at a picture of the dragon. Like Boulder vs. Stoker class... One looks like a rock, and the other is actively breathing fire. I like the classification system, but it doesn't tell you much about the dragon beyond its element. I would just think that with so much interest in the franchise, someone would be interested in installing some details. Dragonpedia is alright... but I still feel like I'm making up stuff about the dragons simply for lack of information.

DragonRider015: Oooooooh things are about to get super intense! And thank you!


	29. Chapter 29 - Glide

Astrid brought her Nadder to a hovering halt as she watched Tuffnut and Dreamcatcher turn back around and swoop towards the Edge. And then take another turn and resume gliding towards Berk? And then back towards the Edge… No, the Timberjack wasn't turning exactly. It was gliding in circles.

"Whats going on?" Astrid shouted. Tuffnut shook his head in response. Finally, he reached a hand far out over the Timberjack's shoulder. "The air is warm here, and blowing upwards!" Tuffnut shouted.

Astrid pulled Stormfly back so that she could watch Dreamcatcher from a distance. The dragon was slowly rising higher into the air without ever twitching a wing. "He must use the air currents as lift and then he can go higher without using as much energy!" Astrid proclaimed excitedly. Hiccup would be so excited to hear about this!

Hiccup… Suddenly all excitement about her discovery was drained out of the moment. Astrid watched Tuffnut slowly rising in lazy circles and after some thought she guided Stormfly to follow him. It took a bit of coaxing to get her dragon to stop flapping its wings, but soon they were also slowly gliding in an upwards spiral.

The trip continued like that, gliding for miles until Dreamcatcher found another upward current. The path they followed was a zigzag and took much longer, but this mode of transportation would leave her dragon with much more energy at the end of a long journey.

It occurred to Astrid that no other dragon she had ever flown with had been able to detect these currents the way Dreamcatcher did. Even though she spent countless hours in the air, she had never noticed the way the air seemed to pull up or down in some areas. Sure she noticed what direction the wind pulled in when it came to normal compass directions, but it was rather eye opening to see how much this dragon utilized up and down the same way she utilized east and west.

Astrid cringed at how much she wanted Hiccup to be here. To see this. There's no doubt that he'd be absolutely fascinated and scribbling notes as fast as he could. Trying to figure out how to put this into his new battle plan. But that was the old Hiccup. The new Hiccup was too busy sorting out village matters to even fly his own dragon. Let alone observe a new one.

The way Astrid wanted Hiccup was different from the way she wanted Tuffnut. She wanted her old friend back. Her excited buddy who shirked duties to explore new islands. In a way it dawned on Astrid that what she wanted was for Hiccup to stop being so responsible.

She also wanted Tuffnut though. She watched as he slid out of his saddle and lay on the Timberjack's back. Since it never flapped, there was no movement to knock him off. She watched his dreadlocks tumble in the wind and his bold chest rise and fall. A soft smile played on his face and she wondered if he was falling asleep in the afternoon sunlight.

She wanted them both. She wanted to have her cake and eat it too. She wanted to stay best friends with Hiccup and have him throw all of his responsibilities out the window, and she wanted to introduce him to this changed Tuffnut. She wanted old Hiccup and new Tuffnut. And she wanted them to both be at ease with each other.

Astrid felt the cold sting of the wind on her face and realized that she had been crying. She knew that old Hiccup was gone forever, and the village would never accept Tuffnut, no matter how much he changed. They were vikings, and it wasn't easy to change a vikings mind. Astrid realized she would just have to try anyway.

* * *

A/N: FINALS ARE OVER! 3

The SkrillRider: Hahahaha I would bet she has! In a way I'm trying to make her more machine than human. I know people like this, and I can even be like this myself sometimes! You'll see a lot of growth in her soon. *evil plotting fingers* Soooooon...

DragonRider015: Thanks! I'm still surprised at how easy and fun she is to write for!


	30. Chapter 30 - Homebound

-Hiccup-

Hiccup and Aryila finally touched down on Berk, and Hiccup offered a hand to help her off her dragon. Aryila graciously accepted, and tiptoed off of Boomer like a princess. "We'll probable end up taking a short stop here and then going on to the Edge. So let me show you the town!" Hiccup said with excitement. Normally he didn't think much of Berk, but the way her eyes shined as she looked around made his chest swell with pride. This wasn't just A village. It was HIS village.

"How would you like to see-" but before Hiccup could finish Aryila blurted out "I'd like to meet Fishlegs! If he is all you say he is, then he must be quite a viking!" Hiccup was taken slightly aback, but shrugged it off. "Off to Fishlegs hut it is then! I'll warn you though, only step on the stones." Aryila gave him a confused stare. "You'll understand soon."

* * *

It was a quick hike around the town and into the woods where Fishleg's had built his zen temple. It was a very smooth, round hut that was lifted up onto stilts so that a small stream could actually flow underneath the hut with a tiny babbling waterfall beneath the main door. It made a beautiful chattering sound that mingled with the whistling birds in the trees around them.

Surrounding the hut was a basin of soft white beach sand that was combed in artistic rings around carefully placed boulders. The soft rings in the sand were mesmerizing as they twisted in careful endless circles. There was a path of boulders that led from the edge of the basin to the mouth of the hut, and potted plants of all kinds were placed in corners that would have otherwise felt empty. Putting a dash of purple flowers next to the path, or blue flowers beside the door. A fern beside the stream swayed slightly in the breeze.

Aryila's jaw was hanging so far open Hiccup wondered if it was going to unhinge. Just then Fishleg's came around the corner, probably just returning from the Pool of Contemplation as he called it. Hiccup waved to him. "Hi, guys!" Fishleg's said in his usual cheerful tone, waving back at them. "Come on inside! Would you like some tea?" He asked, opening the door for them.

Hiccup opened his mouth to decline, but Aryila accepted before the words got out. So Hiccup awkwardly accepted as well. As the kettle simmered, Hiccup introduced Aryila. "M'lady." Fishlegs said with a light bow and a soft kiss on her extended hand. Hiccup knew this was rather typical of Fishlegs and chuckled when Aryila turned a light shade of pink.

Fishlegs didn't seem to notice and returned to the teakettle. "If I may ask, what brings you to Berk? We don't get visitors often." Fishlegs smiled. Hiccup wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to hand him the whole book of the Chieftains Code and see if he could find something Aryila missed. Hiccup's mind bumbled for a believable answer he was aloud to give, but Aryila filled in the pause.

"Oh, Hiccup has told me so much about your wonderful village! I was so excited that I took leave from my village to come visit! He had told me about how well read and intelligent you were, but he had not mentioned your hand for beauty and elegance." Now it was Fishlegs turn to blush at Aryila's upfront and logical comments. These two were so caught off guard by the others manner that Hiccup couldn't help but to laugh again.

"Did I mention… She rides a Thunderdrum?" Hiccup offered, fully knowing Fishlegs affinity for water dragons. It was better than he had hoped. Fishlegs practically fainted with excitement, and questions began bubbling out of him like water from the overheated teapot forgotten on the stove.

The next several hours were an extended question and answer session with the two trading between greedily begging for answers on long pondered questions or pouring out floods of information that would have sounded like nonsense to anyone but these two.

Fishlegs wanted to know every single detail about Boomer and Aryila wanted to know everything there was to know about Gronckle iron. Aryila even wanted details about why he designed his garden the way he did, a question Hiccup had never considered asking, and Fishlegs had quite an extended answer about how each part contributed to the atmosphere of peace. Hiccup listened in silence, glad that two of his closest friends were getting along so well.

* * *

It was several hours before Hiccup realized he should probably take Aryila back to his hut to get a good night sleep before the journey to the Edge in the morning. Even with his encouragement it took a bit of time to get the conversation to wind to a close. "Aryila, Fishlegs will still be here when we get back from the Edge. You can talk to him for days after we get back." Hiccup said, trying to coax her out of the hut. "You two are going to the Edge? Why?" Fishlegs asked quizzically.

Hiccup could have kicked himself. Aryila had been doing so great at dodging anything to do with the real reason they were here, and now Hiccup was just blurting it out. Aryila quickly recovered the situation for him. "Didn't you all spend many years on the Edge? While I'm all the way out here I'd like to see all of the islands I possibly can! Especially that one." Ayrila concluded emphatically.

"I could go with you guys! I can pack my bags tonight!" Fishlegs said, moving to begin preparations already. Hiccup swallowed hard. He didn't want to have Fishlegs in the middle of whatever conversation was about to happen with Astrid.

Hiccup watched as Aryila lay a tender hand on Fishlegs arm as she said "We couldn't possibly take you away from this paradise. We aren't sure how long we'll be gone and I would be devastated to see all of your beautiful plants die for one trip to an island. I'll come back soon and we can talk about anything you want to on my return." She was using that soothing voice that always made Hiccup want to agree with her, and it was certainly having the same effect on Fishlegs.

"Alright… But you'll come back here before you go back to your island, right?" Fishlegs asked hopefully. "Of course! I'd love to stay here on Berk as long as I possibly can." Aryila said, patting Fishlegs on the hand. Fishlegs watched her leave with his mouth hanking open slightly.

When they were out the door and halfway to the hut Aryila glanced at Hiccup. "I think we'll get along just fine. Fishlegs seems an organized fellow, and I would be glad to partner with him in my endeavors." Hiccup nodded. He was surprised that see his friends were getting along so well.

They strolled through the town with many a towns-person waving, introducing themselves or trying to get Hiccup to fix a problem. By the time they got to the hut Hiccup was exasperated and frustrated with the thousand and one problems that leapt onto him the moment he stepped into town.

"I'll be sleeping on a couch of some kind I'm assuming." Aryila said, interrupting Hiccup's inner monologue of complains. "Whu- Yes. Of course. I'd offer for you to stay elsewhere, but-" Aryila put up a hand to stop him. "Hiccup. We are staying here for one night and then going directly to the Edge. I'm sure it will be fine for me to sleep on your couch for a single night."

Hiccup blushed slightly. He was so accustom to Astrid being at the hut that he hadn't considered that it may be improper for Aryila to stay there. But it was late in the evening and by now anyone he could impose on would already be finishing up dinner and going to bed themselves. It would have to be fine for today. Aryila gave him a nudge "You look as chipper as a crypt keeper." She smirked. Hiccup laughed and together they opened the door of Hiccups hut.

* * *

A/N: Heeheehee

DragonRider015: Thanks! I actually got it from turkey vultures! Turkey vultures are actually incredibly noble birds, and fantastic to research. They actually do find heat waves to ride higher into the sky, and are beautiful to watch during migration.

The SkrillRider: Hahaha nothing quite as cool as that. She's modeled after someone I know who acts very much the same way. I plan to write more stories about Aryila, and I wouldn't be surprised if she's a cyborg in one of them! But I love your comments! I'll miss you!

I Am Moonsong: See, I totally agree with you. That's why I keep on writing! Because for every one jerk who drops an insult, I have two more to say something kind. And for every one internet troll who targets me, I have ten people who are just as excited as I am to see how this thing ends!


	31. Chapter 31 - Stay

Astrid and Tuffnut touched down on Berk, and it didn't take long for Astrid to notice a palpable difference in the air. Typically she was given a welcome greeting from every villager she passed. But today eyes would brighten as she approached, and then suddenly turn to a sneer or glowering scowl when they realized who her companion was. Some would begin a greeting, and cut it short. Fearing that if they drew attention to themselves, they may become the pranksters next target.

As one broad shouldered viking "accidentally" bumped into Astrid as they walked by, she began to realize… they blamed her. They blamed her for bringing the village blight back to the island. Astrid wanted to stop every single one of them and explain that Tuffnut was different now. He wasn't the same malicious prankster he had been a few years back.

Another viking "accidentally" bumped into Astrid rather hard, and a shop keeper turned up her nose and flipped a sign to "Closed" as they walked past. Astrid couldn't hold it in any longer. "How could they act like this." She snarled. Ready to pull her ax on her own townsfolk for the insults they murmured just loud enough for her to hear.

"Act like what?" Tuffnut asked, with a surprised look on his face. "Well… the way they're… acting?" Astrid said, stumbling slightly for words. How could he not notice it. Then she realized he was smiling at them and occasionally giving small waves to people. "Hey Mrs. O'Mally! I love the new haircut, I'm glad it grew back." He said waving to a particularly disgruntled old woman who turned on her heel at the sight of him.

"What are you talking about?" Tuffnut said, waving to a man over her shoulder. "Morning Mr. Stronghelm, I see the burn finally healed." Then Astrid began to see it. Mrs. O'Mally had been Lokied by the twins a year before Ruffnut got married. The two had poured mucous from Eret's dragon Slimeball into her hair as a prank. She had ended up having to shave her head when the slime wouldn't wash out. Mr. Stronghelm had been on the receiving end of a flaming dung bomb that had left a severe burn on his cheek and singed his left eyebrow off.

Finally they reached the hut that Astrid and Hiccup shared. "Tuffnut, how can you be so polite when everyone is so rude to you?" Astrid blurted out, unable to keep her thoughts to herself. "Astrid… you want them to treat you the way they always do. But they wont do that so long as you're the reason I'm here." Tuffnut said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"They shouldn't be treating you like that either! You aren't the same as you were back then! You've changed!" Astrid shouted with anger filled gestures to the townsfolk outside. Tuffnut stared into her eyes, and she could see into the vast well of his emotions. "Didn't you treat me the same way only a few weeks ago?" He asked in a soft husky tone. It felt like a punch to the gut as it sucked the air out of her lungs.

"You need to talk to Hiccup, I don't want to be in the way." Tuffnut chuckled. There was no mirth in it though. He was trying to be comforting, but she could feel his pain as though it were her own. Astrid wanted him to stay. "Tuffnut, wait. I want-" He held up a hand to stop her. "This is about you and Hiccup. Not me. I know you two just need to talk and work things out. I'll go back to the Edge. Don't follow me. Your place is here." He was turning his face to hide his expression from her, but his voice sounded like each word was being torn from him.

Astrid grabbed his arm and yanked him back, away from the door. This was not going to be where things ended if she had anything to say about it. "Tuffnut, I-" but whatever she had planned to say died in her throat as the door to the hut opened. In the doorway stood Hiccup laughing with a woman Astrid had never seen before, they were inches from each other and their faces close together. It was like suddenly falling into a nightmare.

* * *

A/N: Hello my darlings! I'm posting from a phone, so no review responded this chapter. I'll get you all next time!


	32. Chapter 32 - Listen

Before Astrid could even think, she was seeing red. She couldn't believe that after all they had been through together that Hiccup would show up with another woman after she had been gone for just a few weeks. How could he! How long had this been going on? Had Hiccup been bringing this woman back to his hut every time Astrid left? Astrid could hear her own voice ringing in her ear, what was she even saying?

"ONE DAY HICCUP. I HAVE BEEN BACK FOR ONE DAY AND YOU ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER WOMAN IN OUR HUT? DID YOU THINK I DIED AND YOU COULD JUST MOVE ON? OR HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON FOR MONTHS? IS THIS WHY YOU WON'T TALK ABOUT MARRIAGE! BECAUSE YOU HAVE SOME SIDE WENCH? DID YOU THINK I WOULDN'T FIND OUT?" Astrid's voice filled the hut until the windows rattled in their panes. Sadly, this level of domestic volume was common enough that none of the neighbors would take note.

There were several things Astrid didn't notice in her blind red rage. The first was Tuffnut slipping out of a back door before Hiccup had a chance to notice his presence. The second was that Hiccup was actually beginning to rise to a rage as well, which was quite unusual for him. These were things that Aryila noticed.

-Aryila's POV-

She didn't know who Tuffnut was of course, but she did note that Astrid had been nearly in the arms of a male companion who was making a hasty exit. Aryila knew enough of relationships to know that it was common for the partner who was most worried about cheating to also be the one doing the cheating. She presumed it was because it was simply on their minds more.

Astrid believed Hiccup would swan off with another woman, because whether or not she realized it she herself desired to swan off with another partner. It was most likely not an intentional choice, especially considering the level of emotion that Astrid was presently expressing. Aryila went to the kitchen to put on a pot of tea. She hoped that Hiccup and Astrid bought their tea from the same trader that Fishlegs did.

Aryila returned to the living room and took a seat to watch the fight. She watched every movement they made extremely closely, trying to pull out the hidden meanings behind the screaming. Angry people rarely said things they truly meant, and often said things they regretted later.

Astrid was loud, but she wasn't actually angry. She was hurting. Whether she was ready to leave Hiccup for the other viking was a mute point, because right now in this second Astrid felt betrayed. She felt like her best friend had traded her in for a new model. This of course wasn't what Astrid said, but it was behind the words. Lurking in the part of her brain that was shutting down because of the pain.

Aryila could see a deadness in Astrid's eyes. That deadness was the sense of betrayal, and if left to fester it would eat Astrid's soul from the inside out. That feeling would have to be dealt with promptly, but first Astrid would need to be brought to peace so that she could hear words of comfort. Aryila returned to the kitchen to pour three cups of tea.

When she made it back to the living room, Hiccup was shouting as well. His words were about Astrid nagging him constantly. But his heart was crying out because of the overwhelming pressure being chief put on him. Hiccup was certainly born to lead. There was no question in that. But he was not tempered to bear the weight of a community.

Hiccups voice also rang through the hut as he gestured violently to the walls. His words said "Haven't I given you enough." But his heart said "I have given you all I have, can you not see that?" Aryila looked about the walls, knowing that every item in the room carried with it a deep and intimate memory of a friendship that had been getting torn apart. The relationship would not be salvaged, but Aryila prayed that the friendship could. There was no reason to loose a deep friendship over such a thing as this.

Astrid's voice was beginning to rasp and become horse. She moved her arms, but her movements no longer came with her previous ferocity. Hiccup was still shouting, but his voice was beginning to catch in his throat. His deep emotions of love were rising to the surface and with them a sense of loss was chasing away his anger.

Aryila guided first Astrid to the dining table, and urged her into the seat. Next she shepherded Hiccup to a chair as well. She was careful not to interact with him in any way that would express closeness. She had no desire to inflict upon Astrid the pain such a thing would bring. The two were still arguing, but the volume had lowered. Having a Thunderdrum as a mount actually made it quite difficult to distinguish sounds when they were too loud. This had conditioned her to focus on facial movements and body language at these times. A lower volume would not only be easier to hear, but easier to work with.

Astrid was beginning to cry now. Hot tears of anger and pain. Aryila pressed a cup of tea into her hands and Astrid blindly accepted. Hiccup's eyes were glossed with tears that wished to fall, but he was keeping his chin up and his chest out. That was good. She presented him with tea as well and he autonomously accepted.

The two fell silent as they sipped the tea that had "magically" appeared in their distracted hands. Aryila stared at Astrid's downcast eyes, searching for the words the viking needed to hear most in her time of pain. "You love him very much." Aryila said softly into the hanging silence. Astrid's tears flowed freely. That was a good sign. Astrid nodded.

Aryila turned to Hiccup who was attempting to glare his tears away before they had a chance to fall. "You love her very much, don't you?" She asked quietly. In a strong tone Hiccup responded. "Of course I do." His steadfast response make Astrid jerk slightly in the convulsions that come with soulful crying.

"You both love each other, but you both have things that the other needs to know. These things are profoundly important and you will both need to remember your love when you hear them. I want you both to wait until your emotions have cooled enough to speak in a steady voice, and then we will discuss the things you are each hiding. We will not speak until both of you are ready, and we will all stay here until that time. Do you understand?" Aryila finished. He voice held only compassion for the both of them even though the language seemed cold.

Astrid nodded into her tea, not looking up. And hiccup gave a firm affirmation, even though his voice still cracked slightly with emotion. The clock slowly ticked, and Aryila put on another pot of tea. It was going to be a long night.


	33. Chapter 33 - Tea Time

The night had grown dark and Aryila had tracked down some candles so that they weren't sitting in the dull glow from the fire in the kitchen. On about the second cup of tea Aryila tracked down a handkerchief for Astrid and Hiccup wiped his nose on his sleeve pretending he wasn't emotional. On the third cup of tea Astrid was finally breathing calmly and looking around the room. Her eyes were red and puffy from the tears, but all anger had drained out of her.

"Where's Tuffnut?" Astrid asked, her voice soft and horse. "Tuffnut was here?" Hiccup asked, having not noticed him in the first place. Aryila wanted to ensure things were discussed in the most beneficial order and she had a feeling that things with Tuffnut were recent enough that they could wait. That would eventually have to be discussed though.

"We'll worry about Tuffnut later. For now Hiccup has something that he wants to explain to you that he wasn't allowed to tell you without me being here." Aryila said in the most calming voice she could. "Why couldn't he tell me?" Astrid asked, her look of confusion darting from Aryila to Hiccup and back. Now it was Hiccups turn. Aryila turned an open hand to him gesturing that the floor was his.

"I-… It-…" Hiccup stammered. This would be the hardest thing he would ever have to explain to anyone, but Aryila could not say it for him. "At the Chieftains meetings I have to go to since dad died… There's this rule book." Hiccup shot a glance at Aryila, hoping that she would bear the pain of these words for him. She could not and so she said nothing.

"Well. The first rule in this book is that I'm not allowed to tell you anything about the rules inside of it." Hiccup was looking for his words carefully. "That's a stupid rule." Astrid snapped and both Aryila and Hiccup agreed with her.

"It was made up by a bunch of old chiefs with nothing better to do than make up dumb rules." Hiccup said rolling his eyes. Aryila loved the rulebook, but she still nodded in agreement. "Well, this rule also contained the punishment that if I told you anything about the rule book and anyone found out about it, that our entire village would be put in exile for breaking the rule." Hiccup said carefully.

"That's the worst thing I've ever heard! What if one of the rules affects me!" Astrid said. She would have shouted it, but her horse voice couldn't reach a louder volume. Hiccup and Aryila nodded looking at each other with solemn expressions. "Aryila found a loophole that made it so that she could come with me to talk to you about it. Technically the rule she used had been about fishing, but I couldn't handle not telling you anymore." Hiccup's voice was wavering with emotion.

Astrid stared at them with a skeptical expression. "So what is this rule?" Astrid asked, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. "It's long winded and complicated, but what it means is that I'm not allowed to marry you because I officially became chief before we got married.

Dad had expected us to get married before he died and because I was too stupid and selfish to attend the chief meetings, he couldn't explain these rules to me just like I wasn't allowed to explain them to you." His words had become rushed, trying to get all of them out before she had a chance to get angry again.

For a long time Astrid was silent and unmoving. Hiccup twisted his hands in his lap. Finally, she spoke. "So… you couldn't ask me to marry you because some old dead chiefs made some outdated and poorly thought out rules and you were too… too… too arrogant to go and find all this out when it could have helped." Astrid said, gesturing to all of him. Hiccup looked down at the table in shame.

"So if you cant marry me, who does this stupid rule say you CAN marry?" Asrtid asked coldly. Hiccup couldn't help himself and glanced over at Aryila. It was like pulling the pin from a grenade. "HER. SO THIS RULE SAYS YOU CAN'T MARRY YOUR GIRLFRIEND OF SIX YEARS. BUT YOU CAN MARRY HER. WHAT MAKES HER SO MUCH BETTER THAN ME?" Astrid shouted in her horse voice.

* * *

A/N: Finally posting from an actual computer!

animalsarepeopletoo: Thank you for reading my story! There are so many feels in it! I'm loving your reviews!

The SkrillRider: I cna write for her so well... but when I really need problem solving skills, my brain goes total Ruffnut hahaha Hit it until it works.

I think that's all the reviews... I love you guys!


	34. Chapter 34 - Logic

Aryila rose to her feet, fists clenched and trembling. The look on her face made Astrid slowly sink back into her chair. "How DARE you." Aryila said in a tone that sent chills up Hiccups spine.

"How dare you suggest that I am better than you. You have stood beside Hiccup through thick and thin. You have trusted him when no one else did, and you have plunged into battled at his side. How DARE you suggest that I am better than you in any way. I can't fight, I ride a dragon that doesn't like heights and I have not in the whole of my life experienced the level of danger that you confront in a peaceful year." Aryila's chilling words made Hiccup and Astrid sink as far into their chairs as they could.

In the entire night this was the first time Aryila had said more than a sentence or two. They both stared at her in confusion. Everything she said was true, but what was her meaning by it?

"Astrid. I need you to understand. Your best friend found out that he was not permitted to marry his best friend. For years he fought with that knowledge because he couldn't tell you anything about it. He didn't marry you because he couldn't, but he didn't break up with you because he couldn't bear to loose you. So will you take from him his best friend in his deepest time of need?" Aryila's words were harsh. But Astrid stared at Hiccup as he squirmed in his seat, fighting back tears.

Astrid took a deep calming breath. "Alright. So why can he marry you and not me?" She asked, trying to get to the bottom of things. "Because I am a daughter of a chief. The rule is present to ensure that an un-wed chief will unite two different islands, but such arrangements are not expected of children who have yet to become chiefs." Aryila stated calmly.

Astrid gave Aryila a quizzical stare. "Wait. You're a chieftains daughter. AND you've been to the chieftains meetings. That means they EXPECTED you to become chief of your own island." Astrid said. Hiccup blinked. He actually hadn't thought much of that point.

Aryila ground her teeth so hard it made a clearly audible crunching sound, and Hiccup worried she was going to break a tooth. Aryila sat back down slowly trying to sooth her own emotions before she spoke.

"Growing up I had an older sister. For a long time my parents expected her to become the next chief, but she hated the idea. One day she fell in love with a fisherman and sailed off into the ocean to never come back. I loved her, and I was glad to see her find happiness. I was also glad because her being gone meant that I would be the next chief.

I wholeheartedly devoted myself to learning how to be a good chief to my people. But when I was 19, and about to be announced as the next chief… My mother announced that she was pregnant. My chiefing ceremony was postponed until after the baby was born, and unfortunately for me, that baby was a boy."

Astrid gasped and Hiccup nodded. It was a well known rule that any male child of a chief automatically became the next in line to be chief, regardless of the age. "But your ceremony!" Proclaimed Astrid, and Aryila ground her teeth in affirmation. "My ceremony was canceled. An infant would be proclaimed chief before I was." Aryila whispered through her clenched teeth.

The room fell into silence as Hiccup and Astrid absorbed this. She had spent her whole life preparing to be chief only to have it snatched from her at the last second and instantly given to someone who wasn't even out of diapers.

"Wait…" Astrid broke the still moment. "You just want to marry Hiccup to be chief of Berk!" She said slamming a hand on the table. Aryila stared at her with a puzzled expression. "Yes?" She said bluntly. "Of course I'm just marrying Hiccup to be chief of Berk." Aryila looked baffled that it had taken so long for them to figure this out.

Astrid wanted to be angry again. She wanted to fly back into her jealous rage. But she couldn't seem to find the emotions to do it. Maybe she had used all of her anger up yelling at Hiccup. Maybe she was too emotionally exhausted from the entire evening to work herself up to a rise. Or maybe it was Aryila plainly admitting to it. There was no fight or argument to be had with Aryila simply agreeing with her.

"Oh." Astrid said at a slight loss for words. Aryila looked back and forth between the two of them. "Whats wrong with that?" She asked, genuinely confused. "But… thats just wrong." Stated Astrid, rather flabbergasted. Aryila tilted her head. "Why?" She asked.

"I think what she means is that you should marry the person you love…" Inserted Hiccup, not sure if he wanted to be a part of this portion of the discussion or not. Aryila blinked. "Can I not love him because you also love him?" Aryila asked plainly.

What Hiccup and Astrid were beginning to realize was that Aryila had spent more time with dragons and the chieftains code than with any kind of genuine social interaction. While this had made her incredibly intelligent, it had somewhat stunted her emotional growth. She could see people, see what they wanted to hear. And she could give that to them. But she had never been in a relationship before, and almost everything she knew came from observation of human interaction and not experience.

"It is against the rules for him to marry you, and it is against the rules for me to be chief without marrying him. He doesn't have many other options as he is limited to the daughters of the chieftains, and I happen to have every desire to fulfill all of the duties of chief that he hates.

I have no intention of interfering in the friendship between you two, and if I were acting as chief I could even free up his time so that you could explore together." Aryila's words held little emotion, but this was because she was speaking from her logical mind, and not mimicking the emotional speech other vikings used.

"Wait. So you would be fine if Hiccup and I just took off together to explore new islands?" Astrid asked skeptically. "Of course." Ayrila confirmed. "You wouldn't be worried about anything 'happening' between us?" Astrid pressed, trying to sort out Aryila's meaning.

"I follow rules. I may press rules, but I always follow them. Whether Hiccup does this or not is up to his discretion, and I will trust his decision. Why? Do you believe he would break his marriage vows by spending time with you?" Again, Aryila spoke out of genuine curiosity. She wasn't afraid or bothered by the idea, but rather accepted it as a part of the equation.

Hiccup and Astrid gave each other sidelong glances. That particular part of their relationship had been long since dead and neither seemed to be able to change that. They slept in the same bed every night, but the spark that turned it from best friends who cuddle into a marriage style relationship was gone. They were still best friends who wanted the best for each other, and it seemed to have taken an oddity like Aryila to remind them of that.

"Aryila… Do you love Hiccup?" Astrid asked plainly. Even with all of this, she still needed to know.

* * *

A/N: Phone post is better than no post and I've been dying to get this one out there!


	35. Chapter 35 - Love

"I love Hiccup in every way that my heart knows how. His inventions are beautiful and creative, his heart is pure and good. He is truly a special individual and I have been blessed by the opportunity to know him." Aryila's voice remained stable, but her cheeks were gaining a light shade of pink.

"If you love him, then how could you so easily send him off with me without worrying about it." Astrid asked, still trying to puzzle out Aryila's intentions. "I love him so much that I would consider it a shame on my own head if I were to steal from him his closest friend. A healthy marriage should not destroy a healthy friendship. No matter where those ties are going or with whom." Aryila finished. She then noticed her cup was empty and went to make a fourth pot of tea.

While she was in the kitchen, Astrid looked into Hiccups eyes. "So… do you think we could do it? Be just friends I mean?" Astrid asked in a hushed tone, wanting this portion of the conversation to be private. Hiccup thought for a moment.

"Isn't that basically what we're doing now? Only, one of us would have to move out. Otherwise, it might actually solve our fights. I won't be able to leave your favorite ax in the rain anymore." Hiccup laughed. There had been a fair number of spats regarding the ax. It was simply too big to keep inside, but would rust when left out in the rain.

Astrid giggled at the fights in question. "Well, I won't be able to remember to take your favorite pan out of the fire when you leave it there too long if I move out." She laughed as well. Hiccup started to laugh, but paused. "Wait. Why are you the one moving out?" But before Astrid could answer, Aryila returned.

"Astrid, we have shared the secrets we have kept from you. I think it is time for you to share the secrets you have been keeping from Hiccup." Aryila said, bringing the steeping pot of tea to the table. Hiccup's gaze snapped to Astrid. "What secret." He said flatly.

Astrid wanted to accuse Aryila of lying. She wanted to say that Hiccup had been the one with all the secrets. She wanted to say a lot of things. But despite what her mind wanted to say, her mouth zipped shut and her face turned a deep shade of red. There was no way out of this one. Astrid took a deep breath.

"I want to move to the Edge." She blurted. Sucking in another breath, she waited for Hiccup's answer. Hiccup laughed. "I said one of us would have to move, not relocate do a different island. I'm sure we can have a new hut built by-" Hiccup began explaining. But Astrid cut him off.

"No. I want to move to the Edge because I want to go back there. I miss the peace, I miss the open air, I miss the lack of demanding villagers…" Astrid's voice petered off and she looked at Aryila. Would that be close enough? Would that satisfy this strange vikings need to hear the truth. But when she looked into Aryila's eyes she saw a coldness that said "This is your choice. Are you really going to leave tonight without actually telling him?"

Alright, maybe eyes didn't say that much and Astrid was just thinking it really hard. But that feeling was right. She couldn't conclude tonight with half an answer. Hiccup had spilled out everything and it was only fair for her to do the same. The candles flickered in the night air.

"Hiccup. I want to go back to the Edge to stay with Tuffnut." Astrid said softly, staring into the low burning candles. "Thats great! Tuff is a cool guy and I'm sure it will be fun to hang out with him." Hiccup clapped his hands. Astrid gripped the table, this was going to be harder than she thought. "No Hiccup. I want to go stay with Tuffnut because…" Her eyes searched the room for help that wouldn't come.

"Because?…" Hiccup asked, urging her to finish her thought. Astrid knew she had to say it, but she wasn't entirely sure of it herself. Aryila was right, she did have a secret. A secret she was even keeping from herself. "Hiccup… I-… I love Tuffnut."

* * *

A/N: Sadly, another phone post. The only problem with phone posts is that it becomes impossible to respond to reviews. I love you all! Guest reviews will be posted as soon as I can sort through them. There's still one loyal follower who's still learning the concept of "Fan Fiction". I appreciate their attentive fanmail, but it takes me some time to wander through everything they have to say.


	36. Chapter 36 - Cliff Contemplations

-Tuffnut-

Tuffnut stumbled out of the bar. He couldn't remember if it was the third or fourth bar he had been in that night. He couldn't even remember how many bars there were on Berk! But they had all thrown him out even though he had more than enough money to pay. No barkeeper wanted Loki, known for consistent mass destruction, in their bar. Especially not drunk.

He shook a fist an threw some incoherent insults at them. He wasn't sure what a "Son of a badgers pet cat" was, but the bar keeper certainly was one. The world was spinning and he felt sick. Yet no matter how drunk he got it didn't erase the soul crushing pain in his chest.

Wherever Tuffnut stumbled to, angry villagers would yell at him or threw things at him. Without Astrid at his side, they held nothing back. There were a few kicks and punches, but nothing that broke bones. The people that Tuffnut had Lokied in the past swarmed into a jumble of bodies, all screaming and yelling. Someone grabbed a torch and soon it was obvious the unwelcoming villagers had the potential to become an angry mob.

Knowing he was unwanted, Tuffnut decided the town was better off without him in it. Once again, he slipped into the shadows. When he was far enough out of the town that no one would notice, he began to run. He ran as fast as he could, wanting to feel the wind on his face. The world twisted violently, and it felt as though the ground was lurching up at him with every step. Blindly, he stumbled deep into the forest.

Without consciously planning to, Tuffnut's feet guided him to high ground, the same way they would wander to his favorite perches on the Edge. Soon he found himself on the edge of a steep cliff. He looked over the edge and the vertigo was enough to make him double over and throw up.

Tuffnut had been drinking for so long that most of the alcohol was already in his system, and throwing up did little to help his condition. In a spontaneous bout of fury Tuffnut screamed at the top of his lungs. Anything to release the pain that ripped away at his heart. But it was of little help.

He lay there for a long time and wept, self-pity flooding over him like a waterfall. He had spent countless years wishing for another friend to fill the empty gap that had been left in his soul, but he knew Astrid was better off with Hiccup. She could be the wife of a chief. She could have the whole of the village admiring her, raising kids who wanted to grow up to be like her.

Yet he had a sick hope that she would come back to him. That a few spats would drive her away from that future. He wanted her to do that more than he could ever express. He would give up everything, just to have her with him. He loved her, and he was becoming more aware of that as each day passed.

His tears dried on his face, and the dirt beneath his head caked into his hair. He lay there for a long time, drifting to sleep and thinking of nothing but his own dismal future without her. Without anyone. Alone.

A thought snapped Tuffnut's eyes open. What if she came back to me? The thought raced through his mind like a Nadder spine ripping through his skull. What if she came back? It filled him with excitement. It pulled him out of his drunken slumber. She could live with him on the Edge, and he would have a partner again.

Tuffnut imagined teaching Astrid how to make the best kinds of explosions, or demonstrating exactly how to best utilize the boor pit. Drinking tea on the cliff top every morning, and building until the entire island was filled with crazy contraptions.

As his mind wandered to what his own kids with Astrid would look and act like, he cut himself off. No. That thought couldn't be there. That hope couldn't be there. Because if he focused on that, his will would break and he would take her away from Hiccup.

Gritting his teeth, he knew what he had to do. He couldn't live without Astrid, and he couldn't risk Astrid leaving Hiccup for him because he would lack the will to push her away.

Tuffnut stepped away from the edge of the cliff. A little further… a little more… there. That should be enough room. Tuffnut ran as fast as his legs would take him to the edge of the cliff and lept into the early morning sunlight. Now both he and Astrid would be free of the burden of this decision. Forever.

* * *

A/N: Finally on a laptop again! FULL RESPONSE TIME!

The SkrillRider:

(CH 33) I know I shooould have kept them screaming for longer, but I hoped that the level of emotion in Astrid's voice would have caused it to go sooner. From my observation, its pretty easy to shout orders for long periods of time as shouting comes from deep in your chest... if your doing it right. But screaming from actual emotion can tear at your vocal chords pretty badly. Either way, I really hate writing for arguments. They put me in a foul mood.

(CH 34) MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA Wait and see!

(CH 35) She really has her own unique way of handling things! I modeled her after someone close to me, and I think it turned out quite well. Also, I really like you and I love the way you word things.

animalsarepeopletoo:

(CH 33) Your comments always make me smile so much!

(CH 34) Cliffhangers are my favorite! And this is rather ironic, because this chapter is a very literal cliffhanger! Heeheehee

(CH 35) Thank you! I guess I'll have to keep writing after this story so that you have more to read! For today... I guess you'll just have to worry about whats going to happen to Tuffnut. *evil grin*

DragonRider015: (CH 33) Nope, the Cheiftans Code is 100% made up by me. I'm glad it was at least a bit believable! And thank you! Astrid can have some pretty volatile emotions, and it makes her interactions with others quite interesting haha... Personally I'm still entertained by how much all of the characters can SEE yet still be blind to. It happens quite a lot in the TV show.

(CH 34) Thank you! I liked her so much I actually went ahead and built her into the book I'm writing! For being an OC, she's come a long way!

(CH 35) Thank you again! In her own story I plan to make Aryila accidental best friends with a Jin that looks like a demon from another dimension. But she's the only one who can see through the portal, and no one else believes he's real. His name is Burn and I plan to call the story Burn in the Shadows. You know those disconcerting shadow people you see in the corner of your eye, but when you look in that direction no one's there? Yeah, its about those.

I am Moonsong:

(Ch 35) Thank you! Hopefully you'll like the end as much as I do!


	37. Chapter 37 - Change

There was a pregnant pause as Hiccups smile twitched. "Well, I love him too. He's one of our friends. Just like Fishlegs and Snotlout… ok, maybe not Snotlout." Hiccup was saying. Astrid tried to cut him off. "No Hiccup, not like Fishlegs." But Hiccup kept talking. "Just like Heather and Trader Johann. Because of course it would be ridiculous to think…" Astrid could see what Hiccup was doing now.

"No Hiccup, not like Trader Johann. What I mean is-" But Hiccup kept on talking, a crazed look in his eye. "Because it would be ridiculous to think that my girlfriend is leaving me for an ugly, stupid, inbred town laughingstock like that." Astrid had never heard Hiccup speak like this before. He was always nice about the twins, even when he was just ordering her to babysit them.

"If you're really that desperate, we can find better options than that. Aryila, you have single vikings on your island, right?" Hiccup was getting more frantic as he spoke. Astrid lacked the adrenaline to respond with anger again. Hiccup was panicking, but Astrid didn't want to hear it.

"He's changed, Hiccup! He's not the same Loki prankster that he used to be!" Astrid tried to shout, but it sounded like more of a plea. "Thorstons never change, Astrid! Don't you realize? This is all just some trick! You're going to fall for him, and he's going to leave you. And I don't want that." Hiccup said with a measured amount of finality. She knew he wanted the best for her, but she didn't want Hiccup's best anymore. She wanted to live on the Edge with Tuffnut.

"Why is it that you can change and want to swan off with some Chieftains daughter, I can change and want to move to the Edge, Ruffnut can change and marry Eret… but Tuffnut can't change? Why can everyone change except Tuffnut?" Astrid was actually raising her voice now. She was done with this. That Hiccup could throw all of this at her but still refuse that Tuffnut could also become different over time.

If Hiccup had a reply, Astrid didn't want to hear it. She stood up and walked out of the hut. She had said what she had come to say, and heard more than she had planned too. Now she just wanted to find Tuffnut and get off this island.

Hiccup and Aryila moved to follow her, but she slammed the door. As she looked up into the morning sunlight, she heard a scream echo across Berk. A scream from an extremely familiar voice. Squinting into the light Astrid could see something falling off of one of the tallest cliffs on the island.

Astrid's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach as Hiccup and Aryila burst out of the hut behind her. They were all too far from their dragons to summon them for aid. Helpless, all Astrid could do was point and mouth the word "No."


	38. Chapter 38 - Falling For You

-Tuffnut-

The ground was beautiful from this high up. All the trees looked like dots, and the people looked like scurrying ants. The wind swept through his hair, and tickled his cloths. It was so perfect. Like flying on a dragon, but without the burden of the dragon beneath him. Was this what it was like to be a dragon?

For that moment everything was wonderful and exhilarating, but quite suddenly that feeling soured. Tuffnut didn't want to be dead. He wanted to live on the Edge with Astrid, Hiccup be damned. He wanted a bright and beautiful future where he was loved and wanted. He wanted to go on adventures with a warrior at his side.

But it was too late. The trees were growing rapidly, and now they reached up towards his face like the sharp spinning teeth of a Whispering Death. A scream was sucked out of his chest. His arms reached for help that wouldn't come and he would have given his left arm to see Astrid swooping up next to him on Stormfly.

Tuffnut folded his arms over his face and braced himself to greet the trees. He expected the sharp stinging pain in his sides from the first layer of branches… but the thick pain of lower branches never came. Tuffnut kept his arms folded over his face until he began to wonder if the ground impact was ever going to come.

Peeking out over the crook of his sleeve, Tuffnut could see the ground sweeping past him. But it was doing so horizontally, no longer jumping up towards him. Releasing his arms, Tuffnut looked up to see a giant orange belly above him.

In that moment, many things went through Tuffnut's mind. One of the most predominant thoughts was eternal gratitude for Dreamcatcher's sudden appearance. The secondary thoughts that would last much longer, was that he was not yet ready to loose Astrid. In that second there was a shift in Tuffnut's heart that changed Astrid from a friend he was assisting, to a woman he could not live life without.

* * *

A/N: And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for!


	39. Chapter 39 - Forever

What Tuffnut did not know was that while he was plummeting to his death, far below on the ground Astrid was rapidly coming to the same conclusion. As she watched him fall her mind raced through the highlights of her most recent trip to the Edge. She thought of her bath, the hours drinking tea on the ledge, the nights staying up talking… but the thing that stuck out the most was his crooked smile. Quite violently it became extremely real to Astrid that she could loose that ungainly smile forever.

By sheer luck, Dreamcatcher was too much large to fit in the pens with the other dragons, and had been perched on a nearby cliff. When Tuffnut screamed, it was only a sharp dash for the Timberjack to sweep in for the rescue. In the dragons mind it was a natural reaction to save his favorite human.

Astrid shook her head. There was only one thing left to do. She turned to Hiccup and punched him hard in the arm. "This is for keeping all these secrets from me." Astrid snapped. Then she took Aryila's hand and folded it into Hiccup's. "This… is for everything else." She said much more softly. She may nor be able to marry Hiccup. But she still had him as a friend, and could still see him happy.

With that, she turned and ran to the clearing where Dreamcatcher was landing with the disheveled young man. Tuffnut stood and embraced the future would hold many fish and belly rubs for this faithful friend.

Astrid stormed up and punched Tuffnut as hard as she could. "WHAT IN ODINS NAME WERE YOU THINKING?" She screamed. Tuffnut didn't flinch at her violence, and smiled as she scolded him. The louder her voice got, the wider his smile became.

In Tuffnut's mind, the more furious Astrid became, the more deeply she must love him. Growing up with Ruffnut had taught him that fury and violence could certainly be displays of love. Astrid punched him again for smiling as she yelled at him, and out of the corner of his eye he could see Hiccup approaching them hand-in-hand with another woman.

He didn't know or care who the other woman was, but it solidified the long pondered question of how to handle Hiccup. Tuffnut turned his head slightly and made eye contact with Hiccup, who smiled and nodded in return. Clearly Hiccup had handled himself, and would no longer be a competitor for the livid viking who was presently screaming at him.

Without hesitation Tuffnut dropped to one knee, his motion momentarily halting Astrid's lecture. He removed his helmet and held it out to her as an offering, and with one word he changed the course of his destiny.

"Forever?"


	40. Chapter 40 - This Changes Everything

-5 Years Later-

Astrid stood in the living room holding a small blond ball of chaos named Fenrir on her hip. The child was only two years old, but he was still quite proficient at finding ways to set things on fire. The two year old fought to be let down, but Astrid kept him contained in one arm as she stamped out the fire that the child had set by squeezing a Terrible Terror indoors.

Her husband flung open the door with a boar flung over his shoulders. "Not in the house, Tuff!" Astrid shouted, trying to shoo him out as she quenched the last of the red sparks.

"He sprained his hoof and needs emergency attention." Tuffnut stated, laying the squirming boar on the kitchen table. Astrid heaved a sigh and set the two year old free to scamper towards the fleeing Terrible Terror that had only recently regained freedom.

Astrid pulled out the medical wraps and handed them to Tuffnut and then assisted in holding down the agitated boar. "I told you not to be so rough with them. How does a hoof get sprained anyway?" She asked, her hands gripping the boars tusks firmly.

Just in that second a four year old ran into the house clutching a green rope. "Hel, I told you not to bring anything larger than an elk into the house, they don't-" She was cut off as the giant orange head of a familiar dragon followed the green rope into the house. That particular rope belonged to Dreamcatcher who enjoyed using it to let Hel lead him around.

Dreamcatcher gave Astrid a friendly nudge and she lost her grip on the tusks of the boar. Luckily, Tuffnut had just finished the bringing on the boars ankle so that when it scrambled to its feet, leapt of the table and dashed out the door it was strong enough to continue running without aid.

Tuffnut spun around and in one fluid movement scooped up both of the blond children. "Who wants to watch a mountain explode?" He asked them excitedly. Both squealed in delight and Tuffnut turned his attention to Astrid.

"You look like you could use a nap my lovely Valkyrie. I'll take them out on Dreamcatcher for a while so you can relax. Don't worry about dinner, I've already got something planned." He said rapidly, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Before she could answer he was out the door with a hellion in each arm.

Astrid's hand rose to the spot where he had kissed her, and she loved that he could still make her blush after five wonderful years. As she began straightening the house she could think of only one thing. The wonderful moment when the most bazaar person she had ever met looked deep into her eyes and changed everything with one simple word. Forever.

-The End-

* * *

A/N: Thank you all for your comments! To those of you who supported me, I dearly appreciate every lovely word you have sent me! After this I plan to get some serious work put into a new original story, and hopefully someday you will run into one of my books! I'm not sure if I'll keep writing fanfiction, but that all depends on whether or not I get inspired for a new story. Please message me if you would like details on how to follow my original works!

To those who have been discouraging because this isn't the relationship pairing you would have liked... All of your comments are going to be deleted. Please learn how to grow up and let people have their own ideas.


End file.
